


Rosvolio Oneshots

by Ellabee15



Series: Woman of color fics [6]
Category: SHAKESPEARE William - Works, Still Star-Crossed (TV), The Borgias (2011)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-22 14:50:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 51,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11382429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellabee15/pseuds/Ellabee15
Summary: Some stories for Rosvolio.





	1. Chapter 1

Of course she knew she'd be expected to dance with her husband on her wedding day, Rosaline wasn't a simpleton. The problem was that at every social event where it was expected for the betrothed couple to dance, he'd found ways to avoid her. Here they were again, at the palace. She was leaning against a pillar and he...he was helping an elderly relative across the hall. She frowned into her goblet of wine. No, she wasn't about to let the actions of Benvolio Montague upset her. 

Alright she was. He never missed a chance to annoy her in public. Why was this the one thing he seemed so unwilling to try...Her eyes widened as Benvolio caught her looking at him and smirked. There was only one reason she could conceive of. She tilted her head, smiling back at him. His teasing expression turned to alarm as she pushed off the column. Crossing the sea of partygoers, she heard the hush as her feet went over the imaginary line the Montague and Capulet guests had created for themselves. A woman dropped her goblet, a man stepped on his wife's foot, a musician played a false note. Rosaline ignored all of it. 

Benvolio's eyes were darting around him, presumably looking for exits, but he was not fast enough. Rosaline smiled down at him. 

"It is a lovely party, is it not, my lord?" She asked, loud enough to be heard by all the closest guests. Not that it would be too difficult as many of them had lowered the volume of their conversation to hear. 

"Yes." Benvolio stood, straightening his doublet. "Though any room with you shines ever brighter." So he was going to be a poet tonight. Good, she could use that. Ignoring the way his words flamed her cheeks, she drew her fingers casually along the side of the table. 

"The music is so wonderful tonight." She remarked. "It makes it almost impossible to sit still." 

"Probably explains why you are standing." Benvolio said. There was a loud thwacking sound. At first Rosaline was unsure where it had originated, but Benvolio answered that question when he looked down at the elderly Montague next to him. 

"Your beautiful bride to be wants to dance with you, foolish boy." He warbled. He grinned at Rosaline. "Excuse my grandson, his father would have taught him better, but unfortunately he was raised by his uncle." He sighed. "I tried to teach that boy, but Damiano was always the less jovial one." 

"Grandfather." Benvolio began through gritted teeth. 

"Dance with her." The elderly lord Montague said, lifting his cane. "Or I'll thrash you again and dance with her myself." 

Rosaline covered her mouth as her red faced fiance jumped out of the reach of his grandfather's cane and offering his arm to Rosaline. Leading her to the dance floor, he stared pointedly at the floor. 

They bowed to each other before he took her hand, placing the other on her waist. Rosaline waited for him to fumble or step on her toes...but the mistakes never came. In fact, she noted sourly, Benvolio Montague was an excellent dancer. 

"I would have thought that you would be pleased, beloved." Bonvolio whispered. "Is this not what you wanted?" 

"I was truthfully expecting you to be a lead footed ape when it came to dancing." Rosaline replied. Benvolio paused, his hand on her waist flexing slightly. 

"And you asked me to dance so I might humiliate myself in front of all of Verona." He shook his head. "Oh my dear Capulet harpy." The words had no malice, in fact he seemed amused. No doubt dreaming of other ways to further torture her. Not that he needed to. This dance was enough. He was so close, his hands steady as he led her through the motions, his hands strong and guiding...his eyes on her as though she were the only person in the room. She tore he gaze away. 

"Why else would you have avoided dancing with me at every opportunity." She growled. Too late she realized the petulant whine of her tone. Too late, she recognized that she'd lost whatever higher ground her power play had gained her. Benvolio stopped his motions. She refused to look him in the face, bracing herself for the taunting to begin. After all, she'd confessed to wanting to dance with him. 

Her betrothed remained silent and motionless. She hazarded a glance at him. He was looking at her as though he was puzzling something out. 

"You...wanted to dance with me?" He murmured, scarcely seeming to believe his question. Rosaline bit her lip. She had two options. She could deny, which would certainly be simpler. Or she could admit that her noting of his neglect to her had not gone unnoticed, even if she wasn't sure what it meant yet and that being held against him as they swayed wasn't the worst sensation in the world. 

Her silence spoke for her, as even before she could utter a response, Benvolio's face opened and a look of genuine surprise and a flicker of excitement passed over his features. Rosaline ducked her gaze. 

"It is you who did not wish to dance with me, Montague." She mumbled. Benvolio glanced around them. 

"In truth I had assumed you would prefer another partner." He didn't need to look toward the throne to make her understand who he meant. "I did not wish to dance with one who did not want it of me." 

Rosaline squeezed the hand she held in hers before stepping back. "Then how about we do this properly?" She asked. Benvolio arched an eyebrow. 

"So I won't need to be caned by my grandfather this time?" Rosaline laughed. 

"Tragically, no." She grinned. "I rather like him." 

"You, Rosaline Capulet, saying something positive about a Montague." Benvolio's eyes glittered. "I shall alert the town criers." 

"Good, then perhaps they can finally find something else to recite besides your horrific poem." She shot back, unwilling to let him have this round. He shook his head before bowing to her, lifting her hand to his lips. She couldn't fight the small gasp as he brushed against her knuckles, his mouth soft and warm. 

"My darling harpy." He grinned. "Might I have this dance?" 

"Of course, my beloved toad." She curtsied, grinning as he spun her before leading her into the next dance.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning. Chapter alludes to domestic abuse.

Is he kind?

Livia's question would not leave her thoughts as she went through her days, preparing for the inevitable.

The truth was that she simply did not know. Her first instinct was to reply that he was a Montague. Though she never actively participated in the feud as her cousins did, she harbored a deep seated anger towards those who shielded the man who'd murdered her father.

She wouldn't say Benvolio Montague was kind. She would describe him as attentive. She looked at him in surprise as he detailed a plan to get her to a nunnery. She had mentioned her desire to take holy orders to him once. It had been such a brief flicker in the conversation that she scarcely recalled it herself. Yet here he was, explaining an entire plan which, if discovered, could ruin his standing with his uncle, all to make her wish come true. No, she reminded herself. He had a stake in this as well. Her dream would release him, as well as her, from the bonds of this infernal arrangement. So it wasn't out of kindness. She could not, however, deny his attention to detail.

Was he kind? She could say with certainty that Benvolio Montague was brave. Though she dragged him by their bond hands after the man who'd attacked the square, he'd attacked the unknown archer without thought or hesitation.

Was he kind? She would not go as far as that. She would say that Benvolio Montague was understanding. Their situation meant that they were unwillingly the only people who knew the other's predicament and empathized. He stood next to her when her uncle wheedled their performance in front of Lord Montague and the Prince. He'd even protested when it was implied that she was not convincing enough. ("Had I not known Capulet despised me she would have had me convinced of her undying devotion"). She'd better understood his defense of her when his uncle turned on him to belittle his commitment to the web of lies they were spinning. She pressed her hand to his, letting him know she was grateful and that she believed him. A tension left his shoulders. She turned and as politely as she could muster, told Lord Montague exactly what she thought of his acting critiques.

Was he kind? She could say that Benvolio Montague was resilient. She learned this after finding him bleeding in the mausoleum shared by her cousin and Romeo. She'd come to lay fresh roses on Juliet's grave only to find him standing over his cousin, fresh bruises and cuts evident on his arms and face. He didn't explain their origin, nor did he have to. She'd seen the way Lord Montague's hands often twitched when he defied him. He stood motionless, as though expecting a blow from her. "Why do you endure it?" She asked. He ducked his head. "I know nothing else." was his murmured reply.

Was he kind? She could say that Benvolio Montague believed in justice. They'd spoken of much in the mausoleum. The presence of their dead loved ones the only place they found they could be free of their families' blows and expectations. She'd even found he could make her laugh. She was summoned to the court. Escalus was sitting on the throne, looking angrily down at a man Rosaline recognized as a distant cousin of House Montague. "This man has confessed to the murder of your father, Lady Rosaline." She'd watched, shocked as the man was sentenced. Outside the throne room Benvolio was waiting. He handed her a piece of cloth. She gazed at it, hardly believing her eyes. Her father had worn a sash, hand-stitched by her mother, of the Capulet colors. It had not been found on his body and had presumably been taken by his killer. She'd mentioned it to Benvolio and he'd gone to every member of his house before finding the right one. She pressed it to her heart, tears filling her eyes. She found, with some surprise, that she cared not whether he saw her cry.

Was he kind? She could say that Benvolio Montague was sincere. She heard it in his voice when he pleaded with the prince to understand the reality of the danger to destroy Verona. She saw it in his request that while he remain to defend Verona, she be placed in a nunnery where she might be safe. She felt it as he kissed her cheek and told her he would give his life to ensure she lived to be happy in the way she chose. She tasted it in his muffled gasp as she kissed him, telling him she chose to be with the man she loved, regardless of the danger.

Was he kind? She could say that Benvolio Montague was passionate. He touched with purpose and kissed with heat and determination. He drove all her fears away, leaving her only trembling with need and desire. He held her close, his gaze never breaking with hers as he guided her through the pain and unbelievable ecstasy of their wedding night. He held none of himself back from her, making her feel safe, wanted, loved.

Was he kind? Yes. She smiled as she watched him play with the small brown haired, brown skinned boy in their gardens. Benvolio Montague was kind. He showed it in the encouragement and unconditional affection he gave their son when he made a mistake in a lesson or game. He showed it in his stern, but fair reprimands when he did not do as he was told. He proved every day that he was a good and loving husband and an excellent father who would never become the monster who'd raised him.

"Your mother seems to be interested in us, Romeo." He remarked, breaking Rosaline from her musings. She shook her head as they shared a conspiratorial look before racing towards her. Benvolio let little Romeo win, keeping pace right behind him to catch him should he fall. She chuckled as her son gripped her skirts and climbed onto her lap. Setting aside her book, she pressed him to her chest.

"If it isn't my favorite Montague man." She kissed her son on the cheek before looking at her husband. "Oh, and you're here too." Romeo grinned and hugged her neck, clearly delighted at her teasing his father.

Benvolio shook his head, leaning down to capture her lips with his. "Be careful son." He told Romeo as he broke the kiss. "For soon you might no longer be her favorite Montague man." He placed his hand on her stomach where the rounded evidence of their second child was beginning to form. Rosaline covered Benvolio's hand with her own.

"Not so hasty husband." She said. "For I do believe we might have another lady in this house soon."

Romeo pulled a face. "A girl?" He grumbled, making both of his parents laugh. "How do you know?"

"I learned long ago not to doubt your mother." Benvolio knelt and took Rosaline's hand in his. "A girl." He murmured thoughtfully. "How about we name her Juliet?"


	3. Chapter 3

Benvolio fumed as he was forced, yet again to put on a show for the people of Verona. In order to prove that their love had survived the disastrous betrothal ceremony, he and Rosaline Capulet had been brought to the market to smile and pretend to pick out the menu for their wedding. 

The market was teeming with merchants, craftsmen, artisans, and shoppers, all talking, moving, sweating, and shouting. Benvolio found he didn't mind; it was easy to lose himself in this crowd. The sounds of different languages and the fabrics and spices from far away were distracting and caught his eye. He wondered at the different dyes, wishing that he wasn't being watched by his uncle's men and therefore free to buy painting supplies. 

Glancing next to him he noted, with surprise, that Rosaline seemed quite at ease with her surroundings. In fact, it appeared that she was more at home here than any of the places he'd met her previously. He'd expected the overly proud heir of house Capulet to be above the crowded market. Yet here she was, waving at the pig merchant like they were old friends, despite the fact that he was shoveling manure. 

"Rosie." A voice called. Rosaline turned and grinned, rushing past him without so much as an explanation to greet a florist. Expertly weaving through the crowd, she stopped next to the man's cart, wearing a smile unlike any he'd ever seen on her face. Benvolio was shocked before the guards his uncle had sent to accompany them on their walk prodded him and he followed her. 

"If it isn't the most beautiful flower in all of Verona." The florist was saying as Rosaline spun and showed him her dress. 

"Cassio." Rosaline chided. "You should know better than to speak to a lady that way." But her tone was light and cheerful. Benvolio swallowed, he'd never seen her so carefree. 

"Aye, that's correct." Cassio snapped his fingers. "You're a lady now." 

Rosaline caught sight of Benvolio and remembered herself. He saw the moment the happy woman was hidden behind the mask. Stopping her spinning, she gave Cassio a grim smile. "So they tell me." 

Cassio looked past Rosaline towards Benvolio. He held out his hand. "Benvolio Montague." 

"I know who you are." He sounded as though he wasn't impressed with what he'd heard. "So. You're the man who's marrying Rosie." 

Rosie...what a ridiculous nickname. Benvolio grit his teeth, but nodded. 

"And he's simply overjoyed." Rosaline said. "How is Violetta?" 

At the name, a far away gleam entered Cassio's eyes. "She's with child." He said, smiling as Rosaline took in a surprised breath. "I didn't want her to work the markets anymore so she's at home." 

"Congratulations." Rosaline exclaimed as she gave Cassio a kiss on the cheek. He ducked his head, blushing. "Tell her I am sorry I did not get a chance to see her." 

He nodded, turning to his cart and picking up a rose. "Here." He said. "A Rosie for Rosie." 

Rosaline snorted, but accepted the rose, reaching for her coin purse. Cassio shook his head. 

"None of that." He said. 

"Cassio." Rosaline protested. 

"I didn't make you pay for the first one and I definitely won't make you pay for this one." He pushed away the offering of coins. Rosaline frowned, then shook her head, handing them to him. 

"Consider it a down payment." She said, looking over at Benvolio. "For when you provide the flowers for our wedding." She was daring him to contradict her. In truth Benvolio did not much care who provided the flowers and if anything a Capulet friendly florist would anger his uncle, which was a small victory. He nodded his agreement. Cassio looked at him suspiciously, but accepted the money. 

"It would be an honor, lord Montague." 

"Call him Bennie." Rosaline smirked, pressing the rose to her chest. Benvolio opened his mouth to protest, but she tugged him away instructing Cassio to send for her when his baby was born. 

From then on Rosaline took charge of the excursion, stopping at various stands, talking to the vendors as though they were old friends, some in languages unfamiliar to Benvolio. He could only smile when she introduced him and gape at her in awe. He'd never seen anyone talk to so many different types of people with respect and caring. She inquired after parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, always remembering names and the various illnesses and successes of different family members. He'd never seen this side of Rosaline Capulet before. This open, caring and generous side. She'd only ever been cold to him, their names predisposing them to hate each other. It was the first time he was offered a glimpse of what it might be like to be cared for by Rosaline...and he found he did not mind it at all. In fact, he craved the smile she'd so easily given the florist. 

"You are awfully silent, Montague." She said as they left the market place. She seemed tired, but content. Benvolio could only gaze at her, still unsure how to process the strange day he'd experienced. "Are you ill?" 

"Worried for my health, beloved?" He said. She shook her head, her expression darkening slightly. He sighed. "I just...what did Cassio mean? When he said he hadn't made you pay for the first one?" 

She stopped walking, her spine stiff. Her eyes widened. For a moment he feared she would not answer him. "It is a tale," she finally whispered, "that I would recount without an audience." 

He nodded, turning and ordering the lead guard to walk behind them. They continued their stroll to the Capulet house, the guards several feet behind them. Rosaline drew her fingers across the petals of the rose. 

"It was after my father died." She said finally. Benvolio hardly dared to breathe, afraid she would stop again. "I was young. My mother was ill and...and my standing in my uncle's house had already been diminished. Livia was home with my mother, tending to her as she grew weaker. I...I had just been sent on my first market run as a servant of house Capulet and not one of its ladies." 

Her familiarity with the vendors now made sense. Benvolio had never truly hated Lord and Lady Capulet as much more than figureheads of the family of his enemies, but the pain in Rosaline's expression as she recounted her first visit to the market made his blood boil. She was their blood? How could they treat her so? 

"Cassio saw me crying. He gave me a rose and told me one as beautiful as me shouldn't be crying." She smiled. "He made sure I knew who to buy from and how to haggle. That day, I only had enough money to buy the groceries my aunt sent me for. He didn't charge me for the rose. Especially after learning my name. He would always say Rosie deserves a Rose." She bit her lip. "He became more my family than my own blood." 

"It is fitting then, that he will provide the flowers for the wedding." 

Rosaline looked at him in surprise, searching his face for insincerity. Shaking her head, she gave him a soft smile. It wasn't close to the one she'd given Cassio earlier, but it was a start. "You are a complex man, Benvolio Montague." 

"That was almost a compliment..." He smirked. "Rosie."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a Married! Rosvolio fic.

Rosaline frowned over at Benvolio and leaned closer. "Will you please close your mouth?" She murmured, nudging him with her hip. He jumped slightly. "You look like a fish."

Benvolio blinked, clearly focused on something else, but did as she asked. Rosaline shot an apologetic look at the ambassador from Florence. "My apologies, wife." Benvolio murmured, leaning closer. "But you can hardly blame a man for being a little disoriented when his beloved has admitted something so scandalous."

The ambassador moved on, clearly not wanting to intrude on the newlyweds' conversation. All of Verona knew of the love between Benvolio Montague and Rosaline Capulet, now Montague. While many believed it was a hoax, an indeed it had begun as one, few could deny the truth of it when faced with the evidence. However it was not simply love that Benvolio was now looking at Rosaline with.

Rosaline took a swallow of wine, forcing her eyes forward and away from her husband. That look would only lead to trouble. He pressed closer to her, clearly wanting a response. "I believe." She said. Benvolio's breathe caught and he leaned closer. "That I require another glass of wine."

She made to walk forward, but Benvolio put his hand on her hip, stopping her from moving.

"Husband?" She smirked, putting a hand on his, squeezing his fingers slightly.

"Are you sure...?" He glanced around the room before lowering his voice. "I shall fetch it for you."

"That is uncharacteristically chivalrous of you, Montague." Rosaline remarked. Benvolio gnashed his teeth, motioning to the closest chair. Rosaline sat delicately on the chair, holding out her goblet. Benvolio took it.

"Sit, please." He said. "And..." He held out a hand as though afraid she would jump from her chair. "Please do not move." He rushed to the casks of wine, throwing glances over his shoulder. She smiled. Livia and Paris walked over.

"What has your husband in such a state?" She asked. Rosaline shrugged, a knowing smirk on her face. Benvolio was fidgeting. The line for wine was long and he was anxious to get back to her.

"A state?" She asked, smirking as he caught her stare and clenched his jaw, clearly unamused. She chuckled. "I think I broke him." Her sister frowned at her, suspicious.

In truth, it had not been her intention. There had been a mix up with the laundry which resulted in her not having any underclothes. Granted, she could have found a better time to admit this Benvolio than as they entered the banquet, but it was too late to correct that mistake. Besides, her husband's obvious discomfort was amusing to say the least.

She met his gaze again and swung out her legs. Not enough to expose anything but just enough to flutter the edge of her gown. Benvolio stumbled and knocked over a visiting Duke from Naples. Rosaline laughed as he apologized profusely to the nobleman. Glaring at her, he marched across the room.

Rosaline leaned back in her chair, pretending to be disinterested in his approach. She arched an eyebrow as he stopped next to her. "Wine?" She asked.

"I think you've had quite enough." He muttered. Livia was looking between the two of them, still perplexed.

"You are being ridiculous." She tilted her head, enjoying the way the tips of his ears turned red. He leaned forward, brushing his lips against her ear.

"This from the woman without underclothes."

Rosaline's eyes fluttered closed as she nuzzled her cheek against his.

"Are the two of you alright?" Livia asked, breaking the tension. Benvolio straightened up.

"Yes." Rosaline stood, causing Benvolio to take a sharp breath. "In fact." She walked forward, deliberately swaying her hips. "I feel like dancing."

The noise Benvolio made was akin to a tea kettle boiling. Before he could protest, however, she was on the dance floor, looking at him expectantly. She turned so her skirts billowed slightly. "Are you not going to join me, husband?"

Within seconds Benvolio was at her side, pulling her firmly against him. His actions few sharp looks from the other guests, but Rosaline didn't care. They were married after all; a little impropriety was expected.

"Capulet." Benvolio hissed. "You are trying to kill me."

"Worried all of Verona will see my uncovered posterior?" She whispered.

"According to our marriage vows, that posterior is supposed to serve and obey me."

Rosaline frowned up at him. "Want to rethink that statement?"

"I regretted it as soon as I said it." He muttered, glancing away from her. She used the opportunity to tug at the skirt of her gown, raising it slightly. Benvolio grabbed her hand, stopping her from moving. "On the other hand, it is a good thing I married you." He muttered. "You would have made a terrible nun." 

"My savior." Rosaline teased. The men around them all twirled their partners. Benvolio refused, keeping his grip firmly on her waist. "You're not following the dance." Rosaline remarked. Benvolio shook his head. 

"You're doing this deliberately." He grumbled. 

"The dancing was to tease you." She admitted. "But my wardrobe was an accident." 

His narrowed eyes told her he didn't believe her in the slightest. 

"No one will see anything if you twirl me." She said, tugging at the short hairs on the back of his neck. "My skirts are long enough."  Benvolio's eyes shut. 

"It is not only you that risks being embarrassed if I let you go." He growled. Rosaline glanced down, her mouth going dry. 

"Perhaps..." She began slowly. "We should consider going home." 

Benvolio nodded, urging her toward the door. 

"Wait." Rosaline caught disapproving looks from all the guests they past, no doubt all of them knew exactly what the couple was planning on doing. Livia was laughing, while Lord Montague was shaking his head and her aunt and uncle were glaring at them. "Shouldn't we say our goodbyes?" 

"No." He growled. "I cannot wait that long." 

 

 

 

 

The carriage ride was torture. Benvolio had ordered the carriage driver to rush home and had been on her the second the doors slammed on them. He kissed her, laying her down on the seat, he rocked his hips against her, his eyes full of promise of what he'd do once they had sufficient privacy. 

"Benvolio." She moaned, the heat of his touches making her squirm beneath his hands. She'd thought she wasn't wearing enough, but in the dark lurching and bouncing carriage, pressed against her husband, she needed him closer. She needed the layers between them gone. 

"Nearly there." He murmured, though whether it was to reassure her or tell himself to hold back, she wasn't sure. 

"I'm ready for you, husband." She rolled her hips against him. He growled, gripping her skirt. 

"Oh are you?" He asked, his jaw clenched. She kissed along his neck, chuckling as a vein jumped beneath her lips. "Do you have any idea how many ambassadors I envisioned skewering because they came close to you?" 

Rosaline squirmed. "You're being quite possessive, Montague." 

Benvolio shut his eyes. "You undo me, Capulet." 

The carriage stopped abruptly, sending Benvolio crashing to the ground, his grip on her skirts pulling her down on top of him. They gazed at each other, stunned. Benvolio's hair was a wreck, his face flushed and his lips swollen. While she wasn't flushed, she knew her unkempt hair and her tangled skirts meant that she wasn't much more put together than him. There was no way to hide what they had been up to. Benvolio helped her back on to the seat, running his hand through his hair before the door was opened by the footman. 

Stepping down, he waved the footman away, he held out his hand. Rosaline smirked, accepting it as she stepped down. He bundled her up in his arms, pulling her towards the door of their home. "Afraid of letting anyone else near your scandalous wife?" She asked. Benvolio slammed the door behind them, making her pulse jump. She took Benvolio's arm and tugged him towards their bedroom, fusing her mouth to his as the door closed. 

"Finally." He groaned, following her urgent tugging at the hem of his shirt. He removed his outer doublet and let her tug the tunic over his head. Her legs bumped against the edge of the bed. She fell back, stretching her arms above her head. He stood over her, his lips parted slightly as he ran his fingers, tracing the embroidered pattern on her skirt. "Might I see?" His voice was hushed. Rosaline rubbed her thighs together. He always asked for permission. It was one of the things that had endeared him to her. He always asked her thoughts, opinions and desires and valued her mind. Never had he forced his will on her. Though the world would not allow her a voice and her family had used her as a bargaining chip to better their standing, she had found an ally in her husband. He was her partner, her love. 

Meeting his gaze, she parted her legs. Taking her skirts in hand, she slowly pulled them up. Benvolio watched her, sinking slowly to his knees before her as though he were at prayer. 

"Rosaline." His voice was ragged. She paused, her skirts at the top of her thighs. 

"Husband?" She asked. "Am I going to be required to do all the work tonight?" She tilted her head. "I thought you found me irresistible and could barely control your-" 

Benvolio pushed her hand out of the way, lifting her skirts the rest of the way. Gently, he pushed her legs apart, running a finger between her folds. She shut her eyes, shivering. She needed him on her skin. All of it. Her hands moved to remove her gown when Benvolio's stopped her. He pressed a kiss to her thigh. "Leave it on." 

She shifted, about to make a joke when Benvolio moved forward, his tongue running along the seam of her sex. She gasped, her hips jerking upwards. He'd never done that before. He'd brought her to pleasure with his fingers and his manhood but never his tongue. "Benvolio." Though whether the exclamation was out of desire or surprise, she didn't know. He looked up at her through his lashes. 

"Do you want me to continue, beloved?" He asked, his breath tickling her thighs and caressing her sex. She swallowed, her entire body craving what she'd just been given a hint of. It was new and different, and it felt good. 

"Yes." The word came out as a desperate breath. "Yes." She smiled, closing her eyes as Benvolio's tongue slid against her once more, his mouth as gentle and passionate as when he kissed her lips. "Benvolio." Her hand had found his hair, her hips moving of their own accord as she tried to get more, feel more. A finger slid inside as his tongue teased her entrance. She lifted off the bed, a cry forming in her throat. Benvolio crooked his finger and she lost herself, quaking, swearing, her body growing taut as she rode the waves of her pleasure. 

Benvolio's mouth continued it's exploration. Rosaline whined, unsure she could take much more. She moved away from him. He pressed a wet kiss to her inner thigh, his beard slick with her. She moaned shamelessly, delighting in the way his fingers dug into her thighs at the sound. 

"Have I rendered you speechless, love?" He murmured, moving up her body, finally freeing her from the confines of her gown. She let him undress her, pliant against his touch. "Had I known this was the way, I would have dropped to my knees before you much sooner." 

Rosaline gave him a lazy smile, running her hands over his shoulders, pulling him down to her. "I shall endeavor to speak more often then, if this is the treatment I can expect." She shut her eyes, nuzzling against his neck. "You may have condemned yourself to more of my voice, husband." 

"A punishment indeed." He nodded gravely. She reached for the fastenings of his trousers, encasing his straining manhood in her hand.

"Come husband." She whispered as he groaned. "I believe I need to be silenced again." 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Modern AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning. Mentions of suicide and domestic abuse.

She sat in the entrance of the studio, bouncing her knee. The owner, a woman named Desdemona, had asked for live models and was willing to pay. Rosaline wrung her hands. She needed this money. Her paycheck from the diner wasn't enough to pay for her textbooks this semester. When she'd seen the ad, she'd jumped on it. The pay was good and the fact that it would piss off her uncle if he found out was an added bonus. After 3 glasses of Rose, courtesy of Isabella, she answered the ad.

That was then. This was now. Without the lens of wine and Isabella being the devil over her shoulder she was seriously rethinking her decision.

The art class let out. Rosaline dropped her gaze and contemplated fleeing with the crowd of students. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her spine and solidified her resolve. She needed this. Law school wasn't going to pay for itself. Standing, she walked into the main studio. A tall, pale woman with dark hair was reorganizing easels.

"Ms. Desdemona?" Rosaline asked. The woman turned and gave her a grin.

"A vision." She said, walking towards Rosaline. "Like Venus, rising from the sea." She clasped her hands. "Please tell me you're Rosaline Capulet because I just need to paint you."

Rosaline bit back a grin and nodded.

Desdemona clapped her hands. "Yes!" She walked around Rosaline grinning. "This is perfect. I won't waste you on the younger students." She nodded to herself, seeming to come to a decision. "Advanced class only, which of course means double the hourly rate that I advertised in the ad."

Rosaline gaped at her. "Um-"

"Please say yes." Desdemona grabbed her hand. "I find you inspiring."

"She used to say that to me." A man's voice said. Desdemona looked past Rosaline.

"Rosaline, meet my husband, Othello." She shook her head, going over the to man, smiling up at him. "She's going to be my model for the advanced class."

"Really." Othello smiled warmly at Rosaline. "Does she know that?"

Rosaline gaped at him. "Othello Jones." she breathed. "I've read...all of your books. I-"

"Oh don't flatter him." Desdemona rolled her eyes. "His head's big enough already." She pushed her husband out. "You're ruining my model." She paused. "Unless...he can convince you to model for me. He does have a way with words."

 

 

 

 

Which was how, a week later, she found herself walking through the doors of the studio. Desdemona had said she didn't have to do nude modelling if she wasn't comfortable, which Rosaline was grateful for. She opened the door, her bag of law books heavy on her shoulder.

"Here, let me help you." A slightly familiar voice said from behind her. A hand held the door open for her.

"Thanks, I-" She turned, smile in place only she recognized the man. "You."

"You." Benvolio Montague looked surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here." Rosaline snapped. "At least I start in about 5 minutes. What are you doing here?"

His hand twitched on the strap of his backpack.

"Wait." She said. "Are you...a student here?" This couldn't be happening. She could not pose in front of Benvolio Montague.

"Rosaline, Benvolio." Desdemona walked over to them. "You've met, excellent." She put her arms around their shoulders. "Benvolio, Rosaline is going to be your new model. Your muse. Rosaline, Benvolio is the advanced class's teacher."

"I thought I'd be working with you." Rosaline said. Benvolio's eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

"Don't worry, I supervise." Desdemona said. "Benvolio is my most promising student and I let him teach once a week." She floated over to her office. "I'll leave the two of you to figure out what to do for the class."

Benvolio seemed to snap out of his daze. "Weren't you-"

"I trust you, Benvolio." Desdemona waved him off. "Do what feels right." The door to her office closed. Rosaline glared at him.

"If you stick gum in my hair-"

"Are you seriously bringing that up again." Benvolio growled. "It's been 17 years."

"And it took 4 years for my hair to grow back." Rosaline hissed.

"It wasn't my fault." Benvolio snapped. "Tybalt pushed me and the gum fell out of my mouth."

"Oh sure, blame Tybalt." Rosaline said.

"I will," Benvolio muttered, putting down his backpack and pulling out a bunch of supplies. "Your cousin's an asshole." He began moving around the studio, opening closets and pulling out charcoals and pencils. "It was second grade, will you ever let it go?"

"You put gum." Rosaline ground out. "In. My. Hair."

"And I apologized." Benvolio said. "I've been apologizing for the last 17 years." He shook his head. "What's in your bag?"

Rosaline blinked. "What?"

"Your bag. I'm assuming it's concrete based on the weight." He crossed his arms. "We could work with that. Make you some kind of Rosie the Riveter, girl power figure."

Rosaline looked at him in disgust. "Law textbooks." She said. Benvolio arched an eyebrow.

"Law textbooks." He repeated.

"Yes." She said. "I need to study." She frowned. "what, no comeback?"

He shook his head. "No, I figure there's no use in arguing with someone who's practicing to get paid to argue."

Rosaline rolled her eyes. Sitting in the chair in the middle of the room, she bit back her response, after all, he was in charge of posing her. It wouldn't be good for her to piss him off too much and have him put her in an uncomfortable position.

Benvolio studied her for a second, then motioned towards the window. "Can you face that way?" He said. "The light looks better on your....hair."

Rosaline smirked. "It's a good thing I have hair for it to reflect off of then." Benvolio looked up at the ceiling.

"Capulet, for the millionth time-"

"Are the two of you ready?" Desdemona asked. "The students should be coming in soon." She examined the position Rosaline was sitting in. "She should be doing something with her hands." She shook her head. "But maybe for the first day her sitting and looking out the window works." She smiled. "You've got a great eye, Benvolio. The light makes her radiant." 

Benvolio huffed and turned his attention back to putting charcoals and pencils at each work station. Rosaline noted a slight twitch in his jaw. The students filed in. There were three of them. Hero, a blonde with streaks of blue and pink in her hair and a kind smile, Paulina, a middle aged black woman with silver whose afro was beginning to gray, and Iago, a short pale balding man who eyed Rosaline with a sniff. 

"Okay." Benvolio said. "Today we've got a new model, her name is Rosaline and -" 

"Excuse me." Iago interrupted. "I thought Desdemona was going to be our model." Benvolio crossed his arms. 

"Art is all about surprise, Iago." He said, glancing over at Rosaline. "Not everything always goes according to plan." 

"He's probably more upset that I'm here than you are." Rosaline said, giving a Benvolio a smirk. 

Pauline grinned. "Sounds like there's a history." She settled at the easel to Rosaline right. "Bennie, I didn't know you liked the sistas?" 

Benvolio paled as Rosaline snorted. "Believe me." She said. "This." She motioned between them. "Hasn't happened, isn't happening, won't happen." 

Pauline arched an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Iago grumbled but sat across from Rosaline. Hero took the seat at the far side. Benvolio glanced towards Rosaline before beginning a lecture about light and shadows. 

"We're not using paints today." He said. "The focus will be on shading." Iago snorted. Benvolio's eyes narrowed. "Something you'd like to share with the class, Iago?" 

"How are we supposed to focus on shading when..." He paused. "You know." 

Rosaline's jaw dropped. Benvolio glanced at her, confused. "I don't know, actually." His voice was a low warning. Pauline turned and glared at him. 

"I know this is not about the fact that she's black." She snapped, voicing Rosaline's silent worry.

Benvolio's eyes widened. Rosaline felt her stomach clench. 

Iago crossed his arms. "As an artistic subject, she's a bit...uniform." He stuck his chin out. "No offense, but how are we supposed to learn about shading hen your skin is so even." 

"How about you take that charcoal and-" Rosaline began. 

"Rosaline face the window." Benvolio said. She glared at him. He wasn't going to get her to shut up, not when this asshole was insulting her. She had the right to defend herself. Benvolio gave her a pleading look. She pressed her lips together and looked towards the window. Benvolio picked up a sketch pad. "See the way the light reflects off her skin." He murmured. "The way her neck is framed by her jaw. The line of her silhouette, the ringlets of her curls and how they fall on her face." He began using charcoal on the paper. Rosaline glanced at it, curious to see what he was doing. He caught her eye and smirked. "Eyes on the window, Capulet." He added in an undertone.

Rosaline looked back out the window. The corner of his mouth ticked upwards as he continued. 

"The sun reflected on her hair, the way in which it makes the top most curls lighten and look like spun copper." He glared at Iago. "There's plenty to do once a person bothers to look past the surface." He walked over to Iago's easel, dropping the sketch pad in front of him. Rosaline ached to see what he'd drawn. "Being an artist means being observant. It means stretching your imagination past ordinary and bigoted close mindedness. Otherwise you'll miss out on most of the world's beauty." 

Rosaline took in a surprised breath. Benvolio walked back to her. She didn't look at him, keeping her eyes out the window. "Tell me when you need a break...or if you want me to punch Iago for you." 

She couldn't help the small smile that teased the corner of her lips. "Just don't use this as an opportunity to stick gum in my hair again." 

Benvolio looked up at the ceiling, shaking his head. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"There's a customer here who wants to talk to you." Cressida said as she passed Rosaline. 

"Who?" Rosaline grabbed an apron and a pen and pad. 

"I don't know." Cressida grinned. "But he's cute." She bumped her hip against Rosaline. "Seriously, you always get the cute ones." 

"If you want Escalus." Rosaline said through gritted teeth. "You can have him." She tied her apron around her waist before going out into the main dining area. She was about to ask which table the customer was sitting at when a man at the far end of the counter stood. She gulped as she recognized Benvolio. Walking over to him, she plastered a fake smile on her face. "There's a gum machine in the corner." She said. "Though you might want to give me a heads up so I can have everyone put on hats." 

Benvolio ducked his head. "When does the statute of limitations on you bringing that up run out?" 

"About 2 minutes after eternity." Rosaline shot back. 

"Well, then I'll be waiting until then." Benvolio shook his head. "Do you have coffee?" 

She nodded. "Regular or decaff?" 

"Regular." He said. "Black with sugar." 

She nodded, grabbing the pot and pouring him a cup. "So, how did you know I worked here?" She said. 

"Romeo." Benvolio said. "He raves about your pies." 

Rosaline snorted. "He offered to marry me after tasting a slice" She rolled her eyes. Benvolio looked down at the cup of coffee, rolling it between his hands. 

"Iago's been kicked out of the class." He said. "I told Desdemona what happened and she told him he wasn't allowed back." He looked at her. "I'm sorry for...what he said." He took a sip. "He's an asshole and I've been kinda looking for a reason to kick him out since he walked in." 

Rosaline tugged at her apron. "I kinda thought you would let him insult me." 

"That's the weirdest thank you I've ever heard." Benvolio said. "You may be the most annoying, stubborn-" 

Rosaline cleared her throat. Benvolio sighed. 

"The point." He began through gritted teeth. 

"Oh, cuz there is one?" She asked. Benvolio rolled his eyes. 

"The point." He repeated. "Is that despite all that, you're a good person. And Iago is a racist asshole." He took another sip of his coffee. "And he can't even draw." 

Rosaline smiled, in spite of herself. Benvolio reached for a menu. 

"So what's good here?" 

"Everything." Rosaline replied. He rolled his eyes. 

"So you're going to be helpful today." He said, running down the list of desserts. "I'll have some of that pie that made Romeo lose his head." 

Rosaline snorted. "As long as you don't propose."

"Oh never." Benvolio said. "I promise you I will never propose, especially not because of pie." 

Rosaline cut a slice and slid it across the counter to him before walking towards the next customer. When she put their order in the kitchen, he was still there, a sketch pad in hand. He wasn't drawing, he was simply looking at it. She walked over. At her approach, he stuffed it back in his bag. 

"How's the pie?" She asked, leaning on the counter. 

"I find myself strangely attracted to you, Capulet." He smirked. "Tell me, are you spoken for?" 

Rosaline snorted before motioning to the sketch book. "Can I see?" She asked. He hesitated before handing it over. Rosaline looked down at the sketch. Taking in a sharp breath. 

"It's not very good." he mumbled, not looking at her. Rosaline traced her fingers over it's outline. It was a quick sketch, even from her untrained eye, she could see that. Yet it was undoubtedly her and it was beautiful. Benvolio had talent. 

"Is this what you showed Iago?" She asked. He nodded. "It's..." She swallowed. Benvolio shifted in his seat. "It's not terrible." She said. 

He smirked. "Thank you Capulet." 

"And thank you." She said. "For calling me beautiful in front of witnesses." 

Benvolio's gaze snapped upwards. "I did not." 

Rosaline smirked. "But you did." 

"I..." He frowned, trying to remember what he'd said. "I said if you look close enough you can find beauty in most things." 

She poured him another cup of coffee before walking away. "Whatever you say, Montague." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"So." Isabella prompted. "How is it?" 

"How is what?" Rosaline had spread her books out over the table and was trying to prep for a paper. 

"Modeling." Isabella plopped into the seat across from her, stealing her coffee. "And having Benvolio Montague stare at you for  _hours_." She stagewhispered. 

"It pays the rent." Rosaline replied. Isabella rolled her eyes. 

"Urgh, you're no fun." She whined. "I need better gossip, all I hear these days is about how Juliet and Romeo are sneaking around in the library stacks."

Rosaline put down her pen, holding out her hand for her mug. Isabella took an obnoxiously long and loud gulp. Rosaline sighed. "It was cold, anyway." She muttered, getting up. "Also how did you even get in here?" 

"I had a key made." Isabella scoffed as though it was a ridiculous question. 

Rosaline gaped at her. "Did I know you had this key made?" 

Isabella frowned. "Why would you need to?" Rosaline rolled her eyes. "Come on." Isabella nudged her. "Give me something." 

"It's a job." Rosaline said. "Desdemona's nice and it's cool to get to talk to Othello. I always loved his books." 

"And." Isabella prompted. 

"There is no and." 

Isabella scoffed. "So, have you gotten naked for him yet?" 

Rosaline looked at the ceiling. "No I have not." She sighed. Then her eyes widened as Isabella got an eager look. "And I don't want to." 

Isabella. "Methinks the lady doth protest too much." 

"Methinks the lady needs to pay her way through law school." Rosaline snapped, grabbing the nearest book and attacking it with a highlighter. Isabella snorted. 

"If that were the only thing you were interested in, you'd have taken me up on my offer." She wagged her eyebrows. Rosaline sighed. 

"For the last time, I do not need a suga mama." 

Isabella rolled her eyes. "Well that's a lie, but whatever." She muttered. "So is you thinking you don't want to strip down for Benvolio." 

"I'm off dating." Rosaline said, fixing Isabella with a pointed glare. She'd thought the mention of Escalus would get her to back off, but no. In fact, Isabella seemed even happier. "What?" 

"i never said anything about _dating_." Isabella leaned forward. "You've been thinking about DATING Benvolio Montague.?" 

"I have not." Rosaline snapped. "Don't you have your own love life to worry about?" 

"Alas, I'm single." Isabella sighed. "Your sister is back with Paris." 

Rosaline dropped her textbook. "You can't be serious." Isabella looked at the table. 

"She didn't tell you?" 

"Of course she didn't tell me." Rosaline growled. "She knows I'd kick his ass because he's no good." She put her hand on Isabella's shoulder. "I'm sorry Livia doesn't realize how good you'd be for her." 

Isabella nodded. "And for the record, Escalus never deserved you." She nudged her. "So get back at him by getting naked and freaky with Benvolio Montague." She chuckled. "He hates that guy." 

"Small problem." Rosaline put her elbow on the table and propped her face on her hand. "I hate him too." 

"Which is why your mind jumped to his relationship potential." Isabella poked her in the side. "And your excuse was that _you_ don't do relationships." She tilted her head. "Not that you don't like him." 

Rosaline shut her eyes and dropped her head to table. "I hate you." 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day when she showed up to the studio, Benvolio was quiet. No quips, no insults, nothing. He moped through the class, moped through clean up and moped through Desdemona recounting the time she accidentally started a cult. Desdemona stretched, yawning. 

"I'm tired." She said. 

Rosaline looked over at Benvolio's expression. "We can clean up, you go home." 

Desdemona arched an eyebrow. "The two of you clean up...alone?" She smirked. Rosaline winced. 

"I-" 

"I think the two of you can handle closing up by yourself." Desdemona stood up, raising her voice. "I will leave the two of you here. To lock up. By yourselves. Just you and the studio." She grabbed her purse and winked, adding "there's wine in the fridge." Before slamming the door. 

Benvolio didn't so much as blink. Rosaline had had enough. Walking over to him, she put her hands on her hips, clearing her throat. 

"What's wrong with you?" 

He looked down at the paints in his hand. "Nothing." He muttered, putting them down and going over to the fridge. "If Desdemona's wine is up for grabs, I'm game." He poured himself a glass. "Want some?" 

Rosaline nodded, sitting across from him, accepting a glass. "So what is it?" 

Benvolio sat across from her. "Have you ever wondered why our families are the modern Hatfields and McCoys?" He asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Because your great great granddad stole from mine in the old country and used the money to start his own business?" Rosaline said. 

Benvolio rolled his eyes. "And have you ever wondered why we need to hate each other." 

Rosaline frowned. "I don't hate you because of your last name, Benvolio." 

"Right." He looked at the wine glass. "You hate me because of the gum incident." 

Rosaline grit her teeth. "It's not just the gum." He arched an eyebrow. "You don't remember." She sighed. Of course he didn't. "Truccio thought the gum thing was hilarious." She mumbled. "He took it as an okay to start bullying me." 

Benvolio lowered his wine glass, a horrified look in his eyes. "What?" 

"It was great after my parents died." She gulped, the sarcasm leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. "My dad's car accident and..." The words stuck in her throat. "My mom..." She took a deep breath. "Truccio would say 'that's one less Capulet. How about you make the world a better place and kill yourself too'."

Benvolio was staring at her, pain and guilt evident in his eyes.  

"Your uncle paid the school a ton of money to cover it up." Rosaline glared at the wine bottle. "And my uncle never cared enough about me to fight it." 

A silence fell. Rosaline swallowed the rest of her wine, grabbing the bottle, her hand shaking as she poured  herself another glass. 

"I'm..." He began. "If I had known..." He stopped, looking lost, angry. "Rosaline..." He fell silent.

Rosaline shrugged. "It's what made me decide to go to law school." She murmured. "I wanted to make sure no one, no matter how powerful gets to bend the rules. Especially when they hurt those who can't protect themselves." She cleared her throat. "Especially when...the victims are kids." 

Benvolio looked at her before standing, putting his glass on his seat. He pulled up the hem of his shirt, turning so his back was to her. Rosaline sucked in a gasp. There were old scars littering his back, the pink shiny skin a tableau of pain and hurt created by a masochistic artist. 

"I know what it's like to be hurt by my uncle." He murmured, keeping his face forward, not looking back at her. "And I'm sorry he hurt someone else. You are a good and decent person. His poison shouldn't..." He shook slightly. Rosaline stood, pressing her hand to his back. He jumped, his eyes closed. He swallowed, tense. A single tear rolled down his cheek. 

"Fuck our families." Rosaline said. 

"Fuck our families." He agreed. 

 

 

 

When Isabella walked into Rosaline's apartment the next day she found the two of them passed out on the couch together. Benvolio had wrapped his arms around her, holding her to his heart as though he was scared she'd disappear. Rosaline had a calm, contented smile as she pressed against him. Isabella couldn't remember a time she'd seen her friend look so vulnerable. She snapped a picture of the two of them for black mailing purposes or for the slide show at their wedding before sneaking out of the apartment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus points to all the people who get the Shakespeare works the different characters' names come from.
> 
> Also I'm super excited for you guys to read the next two chapters. They're gonna be kinda long, but EEEEEEE I'm excited.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU takes place after the big battle. Also slight cross over with The Borgias.

She should have known the second Lady Capulet opened her door that something was wrong. She was smiling. Rosaline could never remember a time when her aunt had smiled at her for anything.

"It is a fine day, isn't it, Rosaline?" Lady Capulet said.

"I suppose." Rosaline grabbed her cloak, thanking God that Livia was off in Venice with Isabella and out of her aunt's grasp. "If you'll excuse me, I am planning on taking a walk through the Veronan streets with my fiance." She fixed her aunt with a pointed look. "Luckily there are still streets for us to enjoy." Just because she'd managed to convince Escalus that she'd been a grieving mother, driven mad by the loss of Juliet and a naive victim of Paris' cruel plot didn't mean that Rosaline was going to let her forget that she knew.

Her aunt's eyes flashed dangerously, but her poison sweet smile was still in place. "Ah yes...the Montague."

"Benvolio should be downstairs." Rosaline said. "We are going to oversee the repairs to my parents' house as we intend to live there once we get married." She paused in the doorway. "Far away from you." She'd made it to the stairs when her aunt's laughter made her stop. She turned, to see her aunt coming out of Juliet's room.

"You know, niece." She said, grinning madly. "I thought for sure that you being forced to marry a man you hated would give me joy. You so professed your disgust for that Montague..." She shook her head. "But this...this." She shook with suppressed laughter. Rosaline fought to keep her expression neutral. What madness had gripped her now?

She knew better than to let her wind her up. She was a lady now, soon to have the run of her own house, and she did not need to suffer her aunt's poison. She turned, intent on going down the steps. Her aunt gripped her arm, wrenching her around.

"The best thing about this revenge, Rosaline." She hissed, her face inches from Rosaline's. "Is that you don't even know how much you are going to lose."

Rosaline tore her arm from her aunt's grasp. "Touch me again." She hissed, "and you will regret it. I don't care how you convinced everyone of your innocence. You are a monster. The only solace I have is that even if you have managed to escape earthly justice, heavenly justice won't be so easy for you to pervert." She turned and walked down the stairs. Benvolio was waiting for her in the entrance. He was picking at a stray thread on the edge of his sleeve. When he saw her approach, he brightened. 

"And how fares my beloved?" He asked, offering his arm. 

"She shall fare much better once you have taken her far away from her insane relatives." Rosaline took his arm, smiling at him as they stepped into the cobbled streets. Benvolio glanced over his shoulder at the entrance to the Capulet house. A curtain moved in an upper window. Rosaline shivered as she caught sight of her aunt watching them. "The sooner we are wed, the sooner I will be free of them." 

"And here I thought you were eager to be married to me because you loved me." Benvolio murmured, attempting to lift her spirits. She pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

"That is merely an added bonus, husband to be." Rosaline leaned on him as they set off through the Veronese streets. She had no desire to hide her happiness, nor pretend to be anything for the sake of others. Their love was honest and their own. 

Benvolio looked at her sincerely. "I have a surprise for you." He lead her to her old family home. She noted that the door fixtures had been changed and the entrance completely refurbished. 

"Montague?" She asked. He handed her a key. 

"There are still some things to remodel and repair, but..." Rosaline didn't dare breathe. "Even if we are not yet wed, this house will be available to you for your use within the week. You can live here without fear of your aunt's wrath." Benvolio covered her hand with his. "Is...is this to your liking?" 

"Benvolio." She grinned, hardly able to contain herself. Giving him a kiss, she rushed to the door. Benvolio stared after her, dumbstruck. She smirked over her shoulder. "Husband to be..." She pushed open the door. "Do you not want to see what will soon be our home?" 

"I love you, dearest Rosaline." He breathed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Damn that Capulet." Damiano roared. Benvolio ducked as he walked into the Montague house. A vase struck the wall next to the door. 

"Something wrong, uncle?" It was a mistake to ask, but his day with Rosaline had brought him such peace and happiness he was sure there was nothing his uncle could say to ruin it. 

Damiano glared at him. "Did the Lady Rosaline speak of guests her uncle would receive in the coming weeks?" He demanded. He strode across the room, his face growing red. "ANSWER ME." 

Benvolio remained calm. "Rosaline hasn't been in her uncle's good graces since she publicly revealed that her aunt colluded with Paris to seize control of Verona." He shrugged. "So she's not privy to his social calendar." 

"You can joke." Damiano growled. "But if the information I have is correct, you have much to lose." He shook his head, stepping back. "That cheating snake." He grumbled. "Be careful around that girl, Benvolio. Anything you say will in all likelihood be used as a means to sever the betrothal in favor of a more politically favorable match."

Benvolio sighed. "My engagement to Rosaline no longer has anything to do with politics but rather how we feel about each other." He crossed his arms. "It is also no longer any of your concern."

"What happens to this family is my concern." Damiano growled.

"You made that perfectly clear when you tried to hand me over to be executed." Benvolio hissed.

Damiano looked at him sadly, shaking his head. "Perhaps you see this as a match of love. Maybe it is the case for her as well. But I know Silvestro." His eyes narrowed as he began pacing. 

Benvolio had had enough of his uncle's doom laden ramblings. It was clear the man had nothing of substance to say. "Uncle, you are paranoid."

Damiano let out a chuckle. "Paranoid." He shook his head. "So I suppose it is a complete coincidence that my spies in Rome have informed me that a group of Papal Ambassadors are on their way to Verona, among them Cesare Borgia, commander of the Papal forces and oh so conveniently recently relieved of his title as cardinal by his father....the Pope." Benvolio's uneasiness must have shown on his face. Satisfied that he had his nephew's full attention, Damiano continued. "Just so we're clear. A wealthy eligible man, recently freed from a vow of chastity is coming to Verona." 

Benvolio's eyes narrowed as he tried to fight the feeling of overwhelming dread churning in his stomach. His uncle was trying to drag him into his paranoid delusions. 

Then his uncle said the one thing that broke any hope he had left of it being a coincidence. 

"The invitation was extended to the Borgias specifically by the Capulets. Under the guise of surveying the new cathedral. But mark my words, Lord Capulet has intentions of marrying Rosaline off to the heir of the Pope." 

"We're betrothed." Benvolio said, his voice sounding weak, even to his own ears. Damiano snorted. 

"And since you oh so publicly declared that you left her maidenhead intact during your time in the Veronese countryside, she is eligible to be married off to any man who desires her. " 

"I never touched her." Benvolio growled. "I was not about to compromise her reputation." 

His uncle looked at him in distaste. "If you had bedded that girl, you could have been married already." He put a hand to his temple. "The one time it would have been beneficial to be a lecherous cad and you decide to become a monk. " He began walking to his study. Benvolio followed. "Sometimes," he muttered. "I believe you do this on purpose." 

"Rosaline will never agree to marry him." Benvolio snapped. 

His uncle stopped, looking over his shoulder. "Oh how foolish of me." He said. "Of course, the last time Rosaline opposed an engagement, she was heeded and the engagement called off." He shot Benvolio a pointed look. "If Cesare Borgia desires Rosaline..." He let the statement hang, making sure the full horror had sunk in before continuing, "there will be nothing you can do to stop it. And with the Pope behind them, and the Papal coffers, the Capulets will be unstoppable." 

Blood pounded through Benvolio's veins as he turned and rushed from the house. He needed to find Rosaline. Get her out of the Capulet house now. Propriety be damned, they'd elope. Friar Lawrence owed him for all the trouble he'd caused. They could be married and live in her old house, even if it wasn't repaired. He'd rather sleep under a leaky roof than have her married off to the likes of Cesare Borgia. He entered the Capulet quarter, the large estate looming ahead. Rosaline's window was at the back, all he needed to do was get her attention and then it would be alright. 

The small sliver of hope he had was dashed as he turned a corner and was stopped by Capulet guards. 

"I need to see Rosaline Capulet." He growled, trying to push past. 

"We were instructed not to allow you near the house." Was the reply. Benvolio glared, itching to draw his sword. 

"I was just here this morning." He said. "Let me pass, I...need to retrieve a handkerchief I gave her this morning." It was a flimsy excuse. The guards remained impassive. "She's my fiance."

"She's also the niece of our lord." The guard on the right said. "And his orders are to keep you away from her window." He glared. "Especially since you kidnapped her the last time you were allowed beneath her window."

Benvolio made a desperate dash forward, breaking free of the guards. He could take them if it came to a fight, but he needed to get to Rosaline. Hands grabbed at him.

"ROSALINE." He shouted as he was dragged back. "ROSALINE."

He saw movement behind the window. Her face was visible for a second. She mouthed his name, but was suddenly yanked back. Lord Capulet replaced her at the window.

"Benvolio" He heard her call. "BENVOLIO." She screamed. He fought forward, but the street filled with Capulet men. As skilled as he was, he couldn't take on 20 men at once, but Rosaline's cries rang in his ears, chasing away all rational thought. He drew his sword, ready to cut through as many as he could. There was an explosion of pain at the back of his head...then only darkness. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosaline tried to push by her uncle. "Why are they attacking him?" She asked. Benvolio's face had been so pale and full of fear. Her uncle didn't reply instead he looked behind her towards Claudia, one of the servant girls. 

"Make sure some one cuts the vine outside that window." He pointed to the balcony.

"What is happening?" Rosaline demanded. Silvestro grabbed her arm, tugging her towards the door. 

"We can't have that Montague or any other man climbing in here and compromising your virtue." he grit out as he pulled her across the room. Rosaline dug in her heels, pulling back against his hold. She went limp, causing him to stumble forward. "Rosaline." He ground out. 

"No. I demand to know what is going on."

With what must have been a titanic effort, her uncle wrenched her out of the room. "I am the head of this house." He growled. "I will not have you questioning my authority." 

"I am to be married." Rosaline pulled her arm from his grip. "You do not command me anymore." 

Lord Capulet straightened up, his expression cold, distant. "Your betrothal to Benvolio Montague." His warning tone made her shiver. She felt small, powerless.  "Is over." She felt the world crashing around her. Over? "Take her to the tower." 

Two guards grabbed her and try as she might she could not break free. They dragged her up the winding stairs. The large wooden door swung open and she was pushed inside. The last thing she saw, before it was slammed in her face, was her aunt beaming triumphantly. Rosaline banged her fists against the door. 

"Let me OUT." She sank to her knees, pressing her hand against the door. The tower had been a source of nightmares for her, Livia, and Juliet ever since they were children. It had hung over them, a bogeyman to scare them into good behavior. She'd never set foot in it, imagining it to be full of torture devices. A glance around the room revealed a dusty room with nothing but a bed with a ragged canopy. There was a small window, looking out over the city. She strode over to it, hoping to maybe call for help, but the only people in the street were her uncle's men...and the gardeners cutting down the vine outside the balcony. "Benvolio." She whispered, shutting her eyes. "What are they doing to us now?" 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benvolio came to in his room. His head throbbed as he attempted to get up. A hand pressed him back down. He blinked, trying to focus. His uncle's face came into view. It had to be a bad injured head because Benvolio swore that something akin to relief entered his uncle's features. 

"We need to get her out of there." Benvolio tried to sit up again. "Lord Capulet is keeping her locked up, he can't do this, he can't-" 

"Except he can." Damiano said. "And if we storm his house, we'll be the ones at fault." 

Benvolio looked at him. It was the first time he'd ever seen his uncle...worried. "She and I are betrothed, you paid the bride price, he should have no say in whether or not I get to see her." 

"There are many in Verona who still believe you abducted her." Damiano stood, and began pacing. "If we were to openly challenge house Capulet the people likely won't be on our side." He fixed Benvolio with a glare. "And need I remind you that he has the favor of the Pope? To attack a man who will receive a Papal emissary, one who is related to the pope, could get our family excommunicated." He paused. "Are you certain Rosaline loves you?" 

"Yes." Benvolio answered without hesitation. Rosaline's feelings for him were perhaps the only thing he was certain of. 

Damiano sighed. "Then let us hope she reacts to her new engagement as with as much pleasantness as she reacted to the last one." He muttered. He froze, shaking his head and letting out a laugh. Benvolio glared. 

"I don't see what's so funny." He growled. 

"I just." Damiano shook his head. "I never imagined that the entire fate of House Montague would rest on the whim of a Capulet maiden." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 days, Rosaline had been in the Tower. 3 days without explanation or a visit. The only people she saw were the servants who brought her food and emptied her chamber pot. She was going insane, wondering why her uncle had suddenly decided to cancel her engagement to Benvolio. He'd been unhappy about it, but she'd forgotten the feeling that he was relieved to not have to be burdened with her much longer. What had changed? 

She was roused from an almost dead sleep by the door banging open. Her aunt strode in followed by a tub carried by 3 servants. 

"She needs to be perfect to receive our guests." Lady Guiliana ordered. "And at the palace banquet she must be resplendent." She sniffed in her direction. "Though I suppose washing the common off her will be an arduous task indeed." 

"I am not allowing anyone to touch me before I have an explanation as to what is happening." Rosaline hissed. Her aunt pretended not to have heard her. 

"And see what you can do about that hair." She turned and left the room. Rosaline contemplated resisting and knocking over the tub, but her desire to be clean and her need for answer won out. Sliding into the water, she shivered. It was cool and unpleasant. She sat silently as the servants scrubbed her. Keeping her expression blank, she celebrated. A palace banquet meant she would be let out of the house, away from the full weight of the Capulet guards. And with any luck Benvolio would be there. He could sneak her out. They didn't need their families. The two of them could make a run for it. Leave Verona and never look back. 

 

 

 

 

She'd been put into a formal blue and green gown, similar to the one she'd worn to her betrothal to Benvolio. Descending the stairs from her prison, she kept her spine rigid, her head high. There was a large crowd of people in the entrance hall, many of them wearing fine clothes. The conversations lulled as she approached. 

"What guest could possibly warrant my being released from my prison and forced into my finery." She snapped. Her uncle's eyes widened and a vein jumped in his neck. She gave him a smug look. If he'd hoped she'd hold her tongue, he was going to be sorely disappointed. "Are we expecting the Pope?" 

A silence followed her words. Then there was a booming laugh from the back of the group. They parted, letting a tall, lean man dressed in fine clothing with a large feathered hat walk forward. Her eyes widened as she recognized the Borgia crest on his breast. It couldn't be. 

"Not quite so grandiose I'm afraid, beautiful maiden." He walked up to her, holding out his hand. "I am merely his son. You must be the lady Rosaline." 

"Must I?" She retorted. 

"Rosaline." Her uncle growled. "This is Cesare Borgia." He gave her a pointed look. "He is visiting to bless the Capulet Cathedral." 

"I had heard you were no longer a Cardinal." Rosaline ignored Cesare's outstretched hand and walked the rest of the way down the stairs. Her uncle's face reddened. She frowned at him. Let him simmer. She'd figured out his game and she was determined to sabotage it. She was not marrying Cesare Borgia. 

Borgia, damn him, didn't seem insulted. In fact he held up a hand, blocking her uncle's step towards her. 

"I carry with me, the authority of my father." He said as he moved closer to her her side, examining her. Rosaline tensed. What was happening in Rome for a Papal representative to openly eye an unwed maiden? If half of the stories she'd heard about Cesare Borgia's reputation were true, her uncle must have gone mad to align himself with so treacherous an ally. The Borgias were not to be trusted. Silently she prayed for forgiveness for thinking ill of the Pope. 

Curtsying, she forced herself to smile at Cesare. "Well, I hope your stay in our city is enjoyable." 

"I believe it will be." He said. "Perhaps you might join me when I tour the cathedral tomorrow? I could use a guide who knows the city." 

Rosaline looked over at her uncle. "I suppose that depends on whether or not I am permitted to leave my prison." 

Cesare arched an eyebrow at Lord Capulet. "The lady Rosaline." He said quickly. "Was recently threatened by a member of house Montague who climbed the vine outside her window. In order to ensure no harm would come to her virtue, we moved her until we'd removed the problem." 

Cesare's eyes gained a possesive glint as he looked at Rosaline. "Which member of house Montague." 

Her aunt opened her mouth to reply, but Rosaline cut her off. "In truth." she said. "It was so dark, I scarcely saw him. He was out of the window before I could get much more than a glance at the crest on his chest." She gave her aunt a warning glance. If she so much as breathed against Benvolio, Rosaline would ensure that this match would fail. 

Cesare moved closer. "Why," he began softly, "do I get the sense that they are more worried about who might climb out than who might climb in." His eyes were probing her, assessing her, undressing her. She felt her lip begin to curl in disgust. She couldn't sake the impression of a wolf staring down a rabbit. Her thought her prey, weak, someone he could toy with. It was so different from Benvolio who looked on her with kindness, generosity. As an equal, a friend, a partner; not a meal. 

He lifted her hand to his lips. "I shall see you at dinner, Lady Rosaline." It was an order, not a request. She inclined her head, forcing herself to kept her hand in place and not shy away from him in disgust. 

"If it is required of me." She turned and walked up the stairs. The guards led her back to Juliet's old room. As the door closed behind her, she rushed to the balcony, knowing her hope was futile. Leaning over she sucked in her breath. The vine, once proud, green and tall, was now nothing more than a hatchet-ted  stump, too far from her to be of any use. Rosaline bit her lip, holding in a scream. Slamming her hands on the edge of the balcony in frustration, she glared out towards the Montague house on the other side of Verona. It was a dangerous game she'd have to play, but she could not and would not marry Cesare Borgia. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one will have a part 2 up in a few days. Hope you guys enjoyed this!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of the Borgia cross over

Benvolio was ready to lose his mind. The banquet had stated about an hour ago and still the members of House Capulet were absent. Where was she? Would they even allow her out of the house? She hadn't been seen in days and all the people in the street he'd hired to give him news had not caught any sight of her since he'd been dragged from the Capulet quarter. He'd watched the Papal envoys enter the city, Cesare Borgia smugly enjoying the effluence of attention from the populace as he made his way to steal Benvolio's beloved.

He ground his teeth, thinking of that smug, self absorbed miserable excuse for a suitor. Pacing back and forth, he tried to calm his panic at the thought of that smug, tight panted, papal bastard being anywhere near Rosaline. His uncle grabbed his arm.

"Your pacing is irritating." He growled.

"Where are they?" Benvolio asked.

"More like where is she?" Damiano muttered, guessing the transparent reason behind his distress. "It is remarkable how interesting family matters are to you," he took a sip of his wine. "Who knew the key to get you concerned about our survival lay in your loins."

Benvolio shot him an unamused look, just as the doors to the hall opened. He turned, his neck burning with the speed. Lord and Lady Capulet walked through first followed by Rosaline...on the arm of Cesare Borgia. She was stiff as a board, his Rosaline. Cold and distant, even more than she had been during the initial days of their engagement. At least that was what he told himself. As though sensing him, her eyes turned towards him. She made to move in his direction, her lips parted as she mouthed his name...but Borgia was going towards Escalus, and she couldn't pull away. Giving him a plaintive look, she followed the Borgia forcing herself to greet Escalus, her smile strained; showing too many teeth to be genuine. 

"You look like a pup but someone has taken a stick to." Damiano growled, pulling Benvolio's attention away from Rosaline. "Try to be less obvious." 

"You would be the expert in such things, uncle." Benvolio shot back, feeling heat rising to his face as he fidgeted. "I am being forced to watch as the woman I love is being giftwrapped to a monster in front of all of Verona, do not presume to lecture me on how I must react." 

Damiano watched Rosaline and Cesare Borgia in silence, presumably plotting his next move. Benvolio swallowed, watching the tightening of Rosaline's jaw and the expanse of space she kept between the two of them. She glanced over at him and for a second a flash of pain entered the brown depths of her eyes. For the first time in his life he wished he had some of his uncle's cunning, if only to find a way to free Rosaline from this predicament. He had never approved of Damiano's methods, but the distress on her face...it was enough to make him move mountains. 

"She is remarkably like her mother."

Benvolio was pulled from his musings by his uncle. He glanced over at him. Damiano was still looking at Rosaline and Cesare, though his gaze was trained on the Capulet heir. For a second...Benvolio saw the cool calculating mask slip and a vulnerable side he'd never seen from his uncle peeked through. He looked over at Benvolio. "Do not make the mistake of presuming that you are the only man in this family who has been forced to watch his love wed another." 

Benvolio was stunned. He tried to come up with a response but his uncle had turned away, cool mask back in place as though it had never left. Escalus was calling all the guests over to the table. Cesare was leading Rosaline to the tablet, his arm guiding her as if she was not possessed of a sense of direction. Benvolio ground his teeth. The Capulets and the houses allied with them sat to the left of the table while the Montagues sat on the right. As Cesare was a high ranking guest, Escalus sat him in the seat next to him at the head of the table. There was a sharp breath as Cesare sat Rosaline at the first corner seat, that should have gone to her uncle. 

There was a hush. Rosaline met Benvolio's eyes, before dropping to the seat across from her. Her meaning was clear, she wanted him there. By all rights the seat should have gone to his uncle, but Rosaline needed him and that was more important than his uncle's pride. He took the seat, not missing the way Escalus arched an eyebrow at his action. However, the prince didn't comment and Cesare outright ignored him. 

"Lord Borgia." Escalus said to Cesare. "May I introduce Lord Benvolio Montague and Lord Damiano Montague." 

Cesare nodded in their direction, his hungry gaze still trained on Rosaline.  

"What brings you to our city, Lord Borgia?" Damiano asked, feigning curiosity as though he hadn't spent the past 3 days analyzing every scrap of information his spies could bring him about Cesare Borgia.

"Lord Capulet invited me to see the finishing of the Cathedral." Cesare inclined his head towards Lord Capulet. "It is said to be the crowning jewel of Verona." he turned his gaze to Rosaline. "Though it must truly be a marvel if it hopes to rival the beauty I have seen thus far."

Benvolio's throat went dry and his fists clenched beneath the table. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Escalus' fingers twitch towards his fork. Rosaline's face was blank. Benvolio could practically hear the disgusted 'urgh' she was biting back. Borgia was deluded if he thought fancy words and flowery vacuous compliments worked on Rosaline Capulet. 

As though hearing his thoughts, Rosaline met his eyes and gave him a smile. He relaxed, recognizing her expression; she was plotting something. 

"Benvolio has quite an eye for art, Lord Borgia." There was a hushed gasp at the use of his given name. Benvolio felt heat rising to his face. Next to him, his uncle gave Rosaline an approving look. "While the art of Verona cannot dream of rivaling that of Rome, if you wish to have someone with knowledge of the various craftsmen and creators, none can parallel Benvolio." She reached for her goblet. "Perhaps he should accompany you during your survey of the Cathedral."

Silence met her words. Everyone too shocked at her display of impropriety to reply. He had two choices, stay silent and condemn her as improper, or support her. There was no choice. "And here I thought." He began, enjoying the affronted sniff from Lady Capulet. "That you found my lectures...how did you so eloquently describe them?" He paused, pretending to be be thoughtful and not like he was being gaped at by all the most powerful noblemen in Verona and the man whose face had inspired the Roman artisans' visage of Christ. 

"The constant ramblings of a man obsessed." Rosaline supplied. Damiano chuckled. She smiled over at him. "I am sure your uncle agrees, right Lord Montague?" 

She had addressed not one but two men of the Montague house with over-familiarity. It was dangerous, but crafty. Damiano lifted his glass in approval towards her. "I have heard him go on for hours about the difference between Doric and Ionic columns." 

"And which stone is preferable for which style." Rosaline added. The two of them shared the type of amused look that transpired between friends with inside jokes. Benvolio was sure his uncle had never shared one with a Capulet. Benvolio huffed.

"If the two of you are quite finished." He muttered. 

"Come, Benvolio." She tilted her head. "I've heard your speeches enough to have memorized them. Tis a miracle I have not been reduced to a madwoman walking through the streets mumbling about the proper way to mix paints."

Benvolio snorted. "You have no need of my help in the madness department." He retorted. Rosaline smiled and a strange ringing entered Benvolio's ears. Her smile was enough to completely silence any conscience that told him their interaction was beyond improper. 

"And yet at every turn you offer your expertise." Rosaline delicately picked up her goblet, taking a sip. 

"I am always at your disposal, Lady Rosaline." He reassured her. For anything. He'd place his life in her hands if need be. 

Cesare cleared his throat, annoyed at being ignored. Benvolio had to stop himself from laughing as Rosaline's eyes widened in mock concern. She was quite an actress, his beloved. 

"As you can see, Lord Borgia. Benvolio would be an ideal guide." 

Borgia's eyes narrowed. "So I see." Across the table, Lord Capulet gripped his fork, glaring at Rosaline. "Benvolio Montague." Borgia's piercing gaze made him want to shrink back in his seat. He met the other lord head on. "Ah yes." Borgia smiled. "I do believe I remember where I've heard that name." He cleared his throat. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" 

Laughter erupted from the Capulet side of the table. Benvolio felt heat rising to his face. 

"The amateur poet of Verona." Borgia smirked. "Fortunately even such a truly horrific butchery of our language is not enough to diminish the subject it was inspired by." He reached for Rosaline's hands, raising it to his lips and keeping his eyes on Benvolio, deliberately taunting him. 

Rosaline's jaw clenched. The rest of the meal passed with tense silence and small talk. 

 

 

 

 

 

As the meal went on, it became clear that Rosaline would have no opportunity to talk to Benvolio. Her uncle and Cesare were intent on monopolizing her time. Even after the meal was over, they kept her as far away from him as possible, on the Capulet side of the room. 

Her only option was to remove herself from the room and go somewhere they would not follow. She glanced across to the Montague side. Benvolio was nowhere to be seen. "Uncle." She murmured, shifting. "I..." She glanced at the ground. "I have a personal matter to attend to." She gave him a significant look. 

Her uncle grimaced before nodding. She swept out of the room, hoping that Benvolio would find her. She didn't have to wonder for long. She had barely left the banquet hall when she was pulled into a side room. 

Benvolio looked her over. "I'm sorry, but I had to talk to you." He breathed. "Your uncle-" 

"Is trying to marry me off to Cesare Borgia." Rosaline finished. "I know." She stepped closer. While her original plan of running off with him wouldn't work, there were way too many guards outside to make it safely. Which meant she needed a back up plan...and she could only think of one. Threading her hands in his doublet, she pressed her lips to his throat. Benvolio swallowed. 

"Um...Capulet." He gasped. "Not that I'm complaining, but we need to focus on getting you out of here." Benvolio looked around. "There's a window. We can climb out, sneak through the gardens-" 

"I need you to deflower me." 

If she hadn't been desperate, the look of shock on his face would have been quite comical. He put his hand over hers, extracting her hold on him. "Rosaline." 

"If you deflower me, Cesare will reject me and you'll have to marry me." She said. Benvolio's eyes fluttered closed as he breathed, his hold on her hands tightening. He didn't seem to be completely opposed to the idea. "Benvolio." She whispered. "I beg of you." 

"I can't just deflower you in a side room in the prince's palace." He hissed. 

"It can't be that difficult." She whispered. Benvolio looked pained. 

"Capulet, despite all sanity and reason, I love you. I cannot have your first experience with me-" 

"I am not asking for romance." She snapped. "My uncle is selling me to a monster." She stepped back. "Unless you want me to marry Cesare Borgia." 

Benvolio shook his head. "Alright." He reached for the laces on his trousers. "One deflowering, coming up." He grimaced at Rosaline's look of disgust. "Capulet, you said you didn't care about romance." She shook her head. 

"Just..." She began raising her skirts. "Get it over with." 

Benvolio glared at her before pushing her against the wall, pressing kisses to her neck. "I had planned to take this slow." He growled, his lips on her skin. She shivered, pulling him against her, his hips grinding slow circles. She was warm, her breath coming short. 

"What else did you have planned?" She asked, her hands opening his tunic. Benvolio nuzzled her neck, his hands caressing her thighs. It wasn't ideal, but she trusted him to know what to do. She shivered. Benvolio stilled. "Why did you stop?" 

"We can always try the garden." He murmured. "Get back to house Montague and do this in my bed." 

"And if we get caught before?" She asked. "If we do this now, announce my deflowerment, we can go back to House Montague without having to crawl through rosebushes and dirt." 

The door banged open, casting a harsh light into their darkened room. Benvolio was pulled off of her and tossed into the hall. Cesare Borgia stood over him, glaring at him while her uncle's frame filled the doorway. 

"I believe." He said in a low, menacing voice. "That Lady Rosaline is tired and needs to retire." 

"Yes." Cesare agreed, glaring at Benvolio. "Especially considering that she begins a long journey tomorrow." 

"What long journey?" Rosaline demanded, pushing past her uncle and kneeling next to Benvolio. Cesare caught her wrist. 

"The road to Rome is a long and dangerous one, dear lady." He squeezed, pulling her to her feet. "You are a formidable opponent, lady Rosaline." He whispered into her ear, his breath hot. "This should be quite entertaining." She pulled away from him, stumbling back. Benvolio tried to get to his feet but was stopped by Cesare's sword at his throat. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He could only watch helplessly as Rosaline was pulled from the hall. 

"Rome." Benvolio growled. 

"Haven't you heard?" Cesare looked at him sadly. "The lady Rosaline is coming with me to Rome in order to be my wife, thus cementing an alliance with the Papal states." 

"My uncle already paid Rosaline's bride price." He stood slowly, pushing the blade from his neck. "You have no claim on her." 

Cesare shook his head. "Of course, how foolish of me. Surely this price was too much for the Papal coffers to match." 

Benvolio glared. "Rosaline is worth more than the entire contents of the Papal treasury." 

"A price." Cesare put his sword back in his scabbard, looking thoroughly bored with the conversation. "That you are unable to match, Montague." He smirked. "But please, compose another poem about her and if it is not too terrible I might allow you to recite it at our wedding." His eyes darkened. "In fool's attire, because that's what you are to even think you could challenge me." He turned, sweeping down the hall. Benvolio was about to follow when his uncle grabbed his arm. 

"He's going to-" 

"Benvolio." Damiano's voice was low, warning. Benvolio was about to protest when he caught sight of the chest tucked under his uncle's arm. He tore his arm out of his grasp. He knew what it contained. The Capulets had returned Rosaline's bride price. His pulse pounded in his ears, walking away from his uncle, he stalked through the halls. The Capulets and their Roman guests had left. Escalus was walking into his study. Benvolio caught the door before it closed and pushed it open, entering. Escalus turned, looking at him. 

"Benovlio." He sighed, exhausted. "I had no choice." Sitting heavily on his chair, he reached for a flagon of wine. Benvolio pushed the wine out of his hand. 

"You handed Rosaline to him on a platter." He growled. 

"You forget your place." Escalus snapped, standing, his eyes flashing. "I had no choice. Cesare Borgia is the commander of the Papal forces. And if he wanted to invade-" 

"There are miles between Rome and Verona. And between them lie multiple cities that are about as friendly to Verona as they are to the Papal states. He's not marching through there any time soon." 

"Be that as it may." Escalus growled. "Eternal damnation knows no borders." He he shook his head. "It brought me no joy, but the whole of Verona had to be protected." 

"You never loved her." Benvolio said. Escalus' eyes narrowed. 

"Princes do not have the privilege of love." 

"But apparently they have the privilege of destroying the love of all those they they envy." Benvolio snapped. It was a low blow, but he'd just sold Rosaline off.

"It was for the good of Verona." Escalus said.

"Why is it that the good of Verona always seems to revolve around Rosaline's love life." Benvolio turned, storming out of the room before Escalus could reply. His uncle was waiting for him.

"I trust the prince is in one piece." He said, dryly. Benvolio pushed past him towards their carriage. They rode back to their home in silence. Benvolio formed a plan. If he couldn't stop her going to Rome, he could ensure that she didn't go alone. "No anger?" Damiano asked as they entered the house. "No  outrage?" 

Benvolio snorted. "I learned long ago not expect much from you." He pushed through. "And for all your talk of danger and downfall of our family, you are remarkably calm."

Damiano handed off the chest to a servant. "I take it you did not successfully deflower her?"

Benvolio winced, hating his uncle's intuition. Damiano sighed. 

"It would have been the logical course to take." He said dismissively. "Rosaline Capulet is no fool. It would have been the quickest and least inflammatory way to ensure she didn't have to marry Borgia."

 "Not necessarily the quickest." Benvolio muttered. His uncle rolled his eyes. 

"Your excessive pride is the least of our problems." He glared. "I need to reinforce our interests and cement our connections with our allies. If Capulet turns the pope against us, we are in for-" Benvolio pushed past him. Damiano frowned. "Where are you going?" He followed him up the stairs into his room. Benvolio grabbed his cloak, his saddlebags, a sword, and an extra change of clothes. "Borgia is taking her to Rome. I am going to Rome." He pulled his bag over his shoulder. "Don't try and stop me." 

Damiano tilted his head, examining him. "I try to make you into a man." He murmured, "Rosaline Capulet has managed in a short while what I've been trying to do your entire life." He grimaced. "I must say I am...not completely disappointed in the results. Even if it came around because of the actions of a Capulet."  

"She gave me love, uncle." Benvolio glared at him. "That was all I ever needed from you...and the one thing you denied me." 

Damiano stepped aside, leaving his path clear. Benvolio rushed out and went to the stables to saddle his horse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She'd been locked in a carriage, with a window on either side. On one side, Cesare rode and on the other a group of guards. Every time she glanced out, Cesare tried to engage her in conversation. She shut the curtain, letting the darkness and the bumps of the carriage as it went over holes in the road be her only companion. Her family had tossed her out with nary a good bye, too busy counting the bride price the Borgias had provided for her to care about even pretending that she meant anything more to them than a means of income. 

There was a knock on the door. She glared at it. The carriage lurched to a stop. The lock on the outside of the door clicked and Cesare stuck his head in. 

"My lady." He said. 

"Lord Borgia." She kept her tone distant, cold. He seemed amused by her disinterest. 

"We have arrived outside the city walls." He motioned for her to get down. "Would you like to come out and see your first glimpse of Rome?" 

She refused to move closer to him. "I suppose I will not be allowed to ride on my own horse?" 

Cesare chuckled. "No, I am afraid you will have to share mine." Rosaline gave him a tight lipped smile.

"Then, I believe I will remain in the cage..." She paused, putting her hand to her mouth. "Oh my mistake.... _carriage_." She smirked. "I can see out of the window just fine."

His eyes narrowed. "If that is your wish, Lady Rosaline." 

"It is." She reached for the door handle. He stepped back, watching her as she shut the door. Giving him a smile, she shut the curtain. She'd never said on what side she'd look out of. The other window would serve just fine. 

 

 

 

 

Her room in the Papal palace was larger than even Escalus'. She felt small, inconsequential. Pacing, she squirmed in the dress she'd been forced into. The corset was cutting circulation to her brain and it pushed her breasts up. They had never been so exposed. If she so much as breathed too heavily, her nipples would be exposed to the air. She needed to find a way out, but she could not for the life of her think of something. She was in the papal palace surrounded by the papal guards who all reported to her new...betrothed. 

There was a knock on the door. "Lady Rosaline." A servant girl stuck her head in. There were apparently no locks in the papal palace, which meant that at any given moment anyone could walk in. She smiled at the girl. "You're expected in the throne room." 

Rosaline glanced at her dress. There was no way this was appropriate for a papal audience. Smiling, she gripped her skirts. "Hopefully, I don't faint from lack of circulation." It was a weak attempt at a joke and the servant girl only glanced around nervously before smiling at her. 

"Quite" She said. 

Rosaline sighed, following her through the walls of the palace. Each hall glittered. She looked at the sculpturs and paintings that lined the palace. Benvolio would faint if he was here. The thought of Benvolio made her stomach ache and strengthened her resolve. She needed to find a way out of this match and out of this city. Lifting her chin, she looked ahead at the large gold gilded door. It opened. She stepped into the papal court, her heart hammering in her chest. Surely all of Rome was here. The hall was filled with rustling skirts and heavy perfume. At the center, on top a high gold covered throne sat Pope Alexander. Everyone turned, looking at her. A hush fell over the court. Cesare was standing at his father's right hand and at the left sat a young blonde woman who had to be Lucrezia Borgia.

Alexander was looking at her, his eyes hungry. He leaned forward, his hands curling around the armrests. Rosaline was reminded of a vulture. Cesare stepped down, walking across the hall towards her. His steps echoed up to the high ceiling as he approached. Rosaline didn't move. He stopped in front of her, bowing before offering his arm. She contemplated refusing him, but rejecting him in front of the emissary of the lord was probably not her best option. Curtsying, she took the offered arm. 

The eyes of the entire court were on them as they moved towards the throne. Cardinals, noblemen, priests, and noblewomen all lined the path to the pope, the silence thick and pulsing. 

"Father." Cesare said, stopping before the stairs at the bottom of the throne. "May I present the Lady Rosaline Capulet of Verona." Rosaline sank into a curtsy. 

The pope extended his right towards her. Rosaline swallowed, slowly walking up to the throne. Lowering her head, she pressed her lips to the ring. Suddenly her chin was caught in a vice grip as she was pulled up. Her face was inches from his. He tilted his head, examining her. 

"Truly, the flower of Verona." He said. "We had heard, of course of the beauty of the women of house Capulet." He lowered his lips to her hand. Rosaline's throat clenched as she tried to force down her revulsion. "We are pleased that the reports undersold the truth." He kept a hold on her hand, his fingers running over her palm. 

"It is an honor to be in your presence, your holiness." 

"And our presence is made lovelier by your being in it, lady Rosaline." He motioned to the woman next to him. "May I introduce my daughter, Lucrezia." Lucrezia tilted her head downwards, demurely giving Rosaline a welcoming smile. Rosaline responded in kind. 

"How lucky are we to be in the company of two such beautiful women. One with the blazing glory of the sun and the other, with the mysterious allure of night." 

He pulled Rosaline to the chair Cesare had vacated. Rosaline felt small as she accepted the seat. Over her father's shoulder, Lucrezia's look of restrained piety faltered and envy blazed. Rosaline refused to sigh away. Meeting Lucrezia's gaze, she gave her an innocent look of confusion. She was in a den of vipers and her best option was to appear unassuming and non threatening. The less of a danger she posed to others, the less of a target she'd become.

"He likes you." Cesare's voice whispered in her ear. She jumped in surprise, looking back at the man behind her. "We will be wed soon enough, lady Rosaline." 

"If you say so, Lord Borgia." She replied, despair settling deeper into her gut.

 

 

 

 

 

There was a party at the papal palace. Benvolio watched as carriage after carriage made their way to the Vatican. Lords and Ladies from all over Rome and the closest cities in the Papal states. He pulled his cloak closer around him, wondering how he could possibly get inside. The palace was heavily guarded and tonight it would be full to the brim with clergy, soldiers, and servants...Rosaline's voice came to his mind. Something she'd said when he'd remarked at her observation skills. 

"I was a servant, Montague." If he shut his eyes he could see the arch of her eyebrow and the slight part of her lips as she explained something to him. "No one pays attention to servants. If a person thinks you are beneath them, you become invisible. We can go from place to place, virtually undetected." 

Benvolio grinned, silently thanking his beloved. She'd given him his way in. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting away from the party was surprisingly easier than she'd anticipated. Her choice of pretending to be weak willed had definitely paid off. When she'd pretended discomfort at all the rich food and revelry, everyone had believed her...except Cesare, but no matter. Shutting the door to her room, she looked around the gaudy interior with disgust. Pushing open the balcony window, she walked out, sighing at the sky. Rome stank, the press of hundreds of people, the loud noises and crowds. She missed the stillness of Verona and the cool breeze from the river. The small glimpse she'd caught of the Tiber had revealed a polluted river, whose waters oozed rather than ran. 

She leaned her elbows on the balcony. "I wish I was home." 

A grunting noise met her ears. She pushed back in alarm, backing away from the balcony. Some one was trying to climb to her room. entering the room, she glanced around and caught sight of a candle stick. Grabbing it, she held it up, prepared to bash it over who ever entered. 

"Rosaline." A voice hissed. She lowered the candlestick. 

"Benvolio?" She couldn't believe her ears. Going to the balcony, she glanced over. Her heart skipped a beat as Benvolio looked up at her, his hands tangled in rose vines. "You're here." 

"Yes." He grimaced. "Would it surprise you to know that your namesake is full of thorns?" Rosaline reached out her hand, pulling him up and into her room quickly before anyone could see them. He was here...and wearing servant's clothing? He pulled off the gloves he'd donned to climb the rose bush and frowned at her dress. "What are you wearing?" He glared at the door. "Did you go out there dressed thusly?" 

"It is the Papal court fashion."  Rosaline retorted. "Even the Pope's daughter wears similar garb." 

"Are you alright?" He asked. "Have you been mistreated? Has-" Rosaline silenced him, pressing her mouth to his. He relaxed, wrapping his arms around her. He was warm, familiar and comforting. He pulled back, sighing. "That was worth climbing a hundred rose bushes." 

"I do believe, you love me, Montague." She replied. Her momentary happiness was shattered by a noise outside her bed chamber. they clutched each other, listening with baited breath as whoever was outside passed. Rosaline sagged against him, pressing her face into his chest. "I am losing my mind." Benvolio pressed his cheek to the top of her hair, holding her close. 

"Do you have a plan?" 

"You came to Rome..." She pulled back, glaring at him. "Without a plan?" 

"My primary focus was finding you." He retorted. She was about to reply when a noise came from outside her room. There was a thump as someone hit the door. Rosaline pulled Benvolio towards the balcony, thanking the opulent style of decoration for the heavy curtains, she pushed him behind it. The doorknob rattled. Someone was trying to come in. 

"Do not. Make. A. Sound." She hissed, the noise at the door making her jump. "They will kill you." 

He nodded. She pulled the curtain into place and made her way across her room, throwing herself on the bed just in time for the door to open and Cesare Borgia to walk in. She sat up, looking at him in alarm. 

"Lord Borgia?" She said, her voice high. She hoped Benvolio wouldn't do anything foolish. "What are you doing here?" 

Cesare swayed, moving towards the bed. "You're a clever girl." He paused at the foot of the bed. "Everyone in the court thinks...you're an innocent. But I know better." 

"What do you mean?" 

Cesare tilted his head, examining her. His eyes were unfocused. He was inebriated. "Your uncle assured me that Benvolio Montague had not touched your virtue. But I doubt that is the case." His expression turned wolfish. "Which is why I intend to relieve my doubts." His hand went to his pants. Out of the corner of her eye she saw fluttering at the curtain. Benvolio was going to do something stupid. 

"Touch me." She warned, holding out her hand to stop him. "and-" 

There was a clanging sound. Cesare's eyes grew even more unfocused. He crumpled to the ground, revealing Benvolio standing behind him, holding the candlestick she'd left next to the window. 

"Montague." Rosaline gasped. 

"He was going to rape you." Benvolio said, lowering his arm, letting the candlestick fall to the ground. He frowned as she knelt next to him. "You have a strange way of reacting to me saving you from assault." 

Rosaline checked Cesare's pulse. He wasn't dead, just unconscious. Rosaline let out a sigh of relief. Standing, she kissed Benvolio. "If he were dead, his family would kill you." She leaned her forehead against his. "And thank you, for saving me. If you had not been here..." She trailed off, an idea forming. She grinned.

"Capulet?" Benvolio asked slowly, touching a hand to her forehead.

"Help me move him." She said. "We need to make it look like he hit the bedframe." Benvolio did as she instructed, moving him without question. When it was done, they straightened up, breathing heavily. Rosaline put her hand to his chest, pushing him gently towards the window. "You need to go." 

"I can't just leave you here-" He protested. 

"I will handle this." She put a finger to his lips, silencing any further words. "You just be ready outside the palace walls." She looked down at Cesare. "Thank him, Montague. He's just given us a way out of this." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story will require a part 3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Third and final part of Borgia crossover

Rosaline waited until Benvolio was safely down the vine and out of the garden before springing into action. Tearing her clothes, disheveling her hair she took a deep steadying breath before knocking over a few pieces of furniture, rumpling the carpet and screaming. The door burst open. She stumbled out, pushing away the guard who entered.

"My lady what..." His eyes fell on the unconscious Cesare.

"I was getting ready to rest and...he just...And he tried. He fell." She covered her mouth, mimicking the hysterics her aunt used to project the image of being weak and irrational. The guard pushed her towards another guard, going to check over Cesare. Rosaline glanced around. There were not nearly enough people witnessing her distress. She let out another cry. It reverberated in the halls. "Oh, he's dead isn't he?"

At the noise more people came. Guards, random guest that were wandering from the party in various stages of inebriation, servants. The more people, the bigger the scene, the better her plan would work. The guard who had entered her room came out, carrying a cloak. She lurched away from him.

"Don't TOUCH ME." She shouted. "That's..." She pointed into her room. "That's what he...and then his head...NO." She pulled away as the guard advanced again.

"My lady, he is not dead."

"But... the bed frame." Rosaline gulped. "His head." She focused on forcing tears into her eyes. She needed to look as distraught as possible.

"What is going on here?" The crowd parted as his holiness, Rodrigo Borgia walked towards her. Rosaline fell to her knees, dry heaving. Rodrigo's eyes bugged out of his head at the state of her undress and her clearly crazed appearance. "Our dear child. What has happened?"

"A man came into my room as I tried to rest, your holiness." She looked away. "He...grabbed me....and....pushed him off....hit his head....fell"

"Who, child?" If she didn't know the misdeeds of the Borgias, she'd almost be fooled by his attempt at kindness. "Who could have dared violate you under my roof?"

"I saw not his face." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I only felt his hands as he...and his breath as pressed his face to...oh holiness, I beg you don't look at me. God forgive me, I-" She covered her face, sobbing. 

"Dear, sweet Rosaline." The pope brushed his hand against her cheek. "You need not fear. We assure you that you will never have to see the man who did this to you, ever again." 

"Really your holiness?" She whispered. He gave her a smile. 

"Our word is bond, my lady." He turned, straightening. "Now." He glared into the room. "Who dared attempt to violate my future daughter in law." 

The room was dark, and he squinted into the gloom. Rosaline watched his face, waiting for the moment his eyes adjusted and he recognized the unconscious man on the floor. He grew pale, his eyes bulging out of his head. Rosaline forced herself to swallow the swell of triumph. He'd made a promise in front of all these witnesses to keep the man who;d attacked her away from her. He just hadn't known that the man had been his own son. 

She gasped, making Rodrigo jump. She looked up and made sure he knew that she knew exactly who was in that room. 

He backed away, glaring around him. "We..." He shook his head. "We require a moment to think." He motioned to the guards. "Move Lady Rosaline to a different room and disperse this crowd." 

Rosaline let herself be led, waiting until she was safely closed into her new room, before letting out a laugh of relief. Falling onto the bed, she smiled. Soon. Soon she'd be free and she'd be able to return to Verona, free to chose the man she wanted to be with. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She was summoned the next morning to a private papal audience. Cesare was sitting next to Rodrigo, his eyes bloodshot, but his expression didn't look angry. In fact, he was calm. Rosaline held her head high, refusing to let him get to her. Rodrigo was leaning to one side of his chair, his hand shading his eyes. He seemed drawn, tired. 

"Your holiness." She bowed. 

"We find ourselves in...a rather difficult situation, lady Rosaline." He said. "No doubt, you know that Cesare stumbled, drunkenly into your rooms last night." 

"The light of the hall revealed this to be true, your holiness." She made her voice waver and kept her eyes on the pope, deliberately not looking at Cesare. 

"And no doubt did it reveal it to the multitudes of people surrounding us at the time." The Pope shifted. "And they all witnessed me promise to safeguard you and keep you out of his reach." 

Rosaline clasped her hands in front of her. "If it is not too bold, your holiness." I....I do not wish to marry a man who would force himself on me in the night. I..." 

"Enough." Cesare growled. "Your act fools no one." 

"Act it may be." Rodrigo snapped. "But the perception of this by the court is already out of our control. You entered her rooms uninvited and she was seen sobbing and disheveled outside of them while you were in her room, partially undressed. How do you think this gets interpreted, Cesare?" 

He glared at Rosaline, before twisting his mouth into a cruel smile. "Well then, I should be given the opportunity to clear my name." He drummed his fingers against the arm rest of his seat. 

"Oh?" The pope sounded bored. "We suggest that we return her to Verona with double her bride price and pray that her family does not seek retribution." He frowned at his son. "What is your alternative?" 

"A trial by combat." Cesare motioned to the guards. The doors to the back of the hall opened and the papal court flooded in. Rosaline watched in shock as she found herself enclosed in a circle of people. 

"I...hope you don't intend me to fight, lord Borgia." 

"Oh no, sweet lady." He stood, his hand on his scabbard. Ambling down the steps, he drew his sword, holding it up before his face. Examining his reflection. "Your honor requires a champion." 

"And who would that be, lord Borgia?" Rosaline refused to let the panic she felt show in her voice. Her heart hammered in her chest as she glanced around. "I know no one here." 

Cesare hummed in amusement before motioning to the guards again. Drawing level with Rosaline, he smirked, leaning into her. "Are you quite sure about that, my lady." 

Rosaline's heart fell as the doors opened and Benvolio was pulled into the room. Bound and gagged, he was dragged across the floor. Rodrigo raised an eyebrow. 

"Who is this?" 

"Benvolio Montague." Cesare announced, grinning at his audience like a showman announcing performers at a street fair. "The heir of Verona's most powerful merchant family and the former betrothed of Rosaline Capulet." He smirked at his father. "She is so eager to be rid of me because she desires him." He glared at Rosaline. "Go on, comfort him. I'm sure you're dying to." 

"I want nothing of you because you're a monster." Rosaline hissed. Benvolio squirmed, his wrists were red and raw where they were bound. Rosaline made to go near him but a guard held her back. Rosaline whirled around and glared at Cesare who was mocking her. "Let us not forget that you came into my bed chamber last night." 

"And you weren't alone, were you?" Cesare said, gasps echoing around them. Rosaline refused to answer. "Your silence betrays guilt. Here are your options, Lady Rosaline. You become my wife or allow your fate to be decided by a trial by combat. I will fight your precious Benvolio and if he wins you will be as free as a bird. In fact, we will do as my father suggested and return you to Verona with double your bride price. But...if he should loose...." Rosaline didn't respond. She couldn't. She wouldn't ask Benvolio to fight for her freedom. Cesare would kill him and if Benvolio won...he risked being killed by the pope's men for attacking his son.

"Rwwwaann" Benvolio was trying to talk around the rag in his mouth. 

"Your lover wishes to speak." 

"Montague, no." She said, hoping to stop whatever foolish declaration he was about to make but the second Cesare removed the gag. 

"I accept your challenge." He spat out, glaring at Cesare. Rosaline lunged towards him, trying to reach him, hold him, shield him; anything. But the guards dragged her back and blocked her path to him. She could only watch as Benvolio's restraints were removed and a sword was put in his hand. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benvolio rolled his shoulders, trying to work out the strain. He'd been grabbed by the papal guards outside the walls and had been thrown into the cells and it had been an uncomfortable night to say the least. He'd been thinking of wiping that smug look off Cesare Borgia's face. He wasn't naive enough to think this would work, but at least this way there was a chance for him and Rosaline to be free. He held up his sword, squaring his shoulders. He was probably the best swordsman in Verona, but Cesare was older and had trained with people who visited the Vatican from parts of the wold Benvolio had no knowledge of. 

But, he thought to himself, glancing over to Rosaline, Cesare is fighting for his own pride. Benvolio was fighting for his beloved. She was staring at him with an expression that oscillated between terrified and annoyed. He shrugged. 

"Me being rash and foolish for you is a habit of mine, Capulet." He called out to her. She pressed her lips together, shaking her head. 

"I rather hope I will have to endure you for many years to come, Montague." Was her reply. He nodded, before looking at his opponent. Raising his sword he waited for Cesare to make the first strike. He wanted a measure of his fighting style before he went on the offensive. And make the first strike Cesare did. Raising his sword, he brought it down, hard. Benvolio blocked, buckling underneath the strike. Cesare was strong, confident and relentless. He rained blow after blow down on Benvolio.

Benvolio waited for him to raise the sword again before jumping out of the way of he strike. Cesare's sword made a resounding clang as it hit the marble floors. Benvolio felt a smug sense of satisfaction as  he spun around and glared up at him. Re-positioning his sword, he pulled it back, prepping for a strike. 

"My turn." He growled. He let his mind clear, going through all his training. Cesare was one of the most skilled opponents he'd come up against in a long time. The fight stretched on for ages, neither gaining any ground and neitherr willing to concede defeat. 

Their swords came together and they struggled, both pushing to destabilize the other. 

"She's pretty enough." Cesare's voice was low, his teeth grit and his eyes flashed. Benvolio's pulse jumped in his ears. " _Lady_ Rosaline. I will enjoy ruining her." 

Benvolio pulled away, moving back, trying to resist painting the room with Cesare's blood. He was just trying to make Benvolio lose focus. Readjusting his stance, he pulled back his sword and swung again. Their swords crossed again and this time Benvolio saw Cesare reach for something at his belt. His eyes widened and he jumped back, but he was wasn't fast enough. A burning pain cut through his side. Benvolio hissed, bringing the flat of his sword down on Cesare's arm. A dagger dropped from his hand and clattered on the floor, eliciting a gasp from the crowd. Benvolio slammed his sword on Cesare's other arm, causing him to sway. The room was swimming, dimly he heard Rosaline, begging someone to call off the fight. Something about cheating. 

He ignored it. If Cesare won...the idea was too horrible to contemplate. Throwing himself forward, he shoved his elbow into Cesare's middle and used his distraction to sweep his feet out from under him. Cesare landed on his ass. Benvolio blocked his attempt to rise by pointing his sword at his throat. 

"Yield." He growled. 

Cesare blinked in surprise, examining his face before smirking. "Feeling faint, Montague?" 

Benvolio grit his teeth. A strange ringing noise had begun. It was suddenly strangely cold in the hall. He gripped the sword, his control over his fingers slipping. 

"You let Rosaline and me return to Verona." He ground out, ignoring the way his blood seemed to roil in his veins. "You give her the double of her bride price and never come near us again." 

Cesare was about to retort when the Pope finally spoke up. "Those were the terms you laid out, our son." There was a pause. "We will honor them." Benvolio lowered his sword, stumbling back. He felt faint. Looking around, his gaze finally fell on Rosaline. He grinned, lurching forward. Rosaline looked worried. Why? He'd won. They were free! 

The world tilted sideways and he felt something cold and hard against his side. 

"BENVOLIO." Rosaline's face swam in front of his eyes. 

"We can go..." He mumbled, grinning up at her. 

"Some help him." Rosaline shouted. He could feel her dragging him closer to her. He pressed his face against her stomach. She smelled nice. He shut his eyes. The world went still. 

"Home." He mumbled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosaline sat at Benvolio's bedside, clutching his hand. Various cardinals had been in, praying over him. The physicians looked him over, but all of them said it was hopeless. He'd been poisoned. She lowered her head, pressing it against their clasped hands. "This isn't fair. You shouldn't...why did you accept that challenge? I don't want you to die to save me." She pressed his fingers to her lips. Juliet and Romeo had died rather than be separated and for the first time, Rosaline understood the sentiment.

It was night, the candles burned low. Benovlio's breathing was shallow. His pulse barely fluttering against her fingers. Rosaline squeezed his hand, hot tears pouring down her cheeks, her eyes burning with the effort of producing new tears. 

"You can't leave me." She murmured. 

There was a creaking noise from the door. Rosaline sat up, trying to blink the blur from her eyes. A golden head of curls peeked into the room. 

"Get out." Rosaline's voice warbled. Lucrezia ignored her, walking in. Sauntering to the other side of the bed, she examined Benvolio, a bored look on her face. 

"He's handsome." She said. Rosaline stood, glaring at him. 

"Your family did this to him." She snapped. "Your brother cheated and stabbed him with a poisoned dagger." She pointed to the door, shouting. "I don't want any of you near him." 

Lucrezia didn't even blink. "Not even if one of us has the antidote?" She held up a small glass vial with amber liquid. It sparkled in the dimming candle light. Rosaline swallowed. She had no reason to trust Lucrezia, but if there was even a chance...she shook her head. 

"For all I know that could be more poison." 

"True." Lucrezia looked back at Benvolio's face. "But he's suffering. So either it's poison and it ends his pain or it's the antidote..." She looked up, finally meeting Rosaline's gaze. "And you get him back." 

Rosaline swallowed. From the bed, Benvolio groaned. His face was ashen and losing color by the hour. He was dying. 

"Why help me?" She whispered. 

Lucrezia tilted her head. "My father has arranged many an unwanted marriage for me." She held out the vial. "But once, there was one I loved...and I lost him." 

Rosaline hesitated before taking the vial from Lucrezia's hand. She glanced back at Benvolio before opening the vial. Dipping her pinkie in it, she ran her hand down his face. If it was poison, she'd die with him. If it wasn't...she hardly dared hope. Bringing her pinkie to her lips she pressed her tongue to it. Shutting her eyes, she waited. 

Nothing. She opened her eyes, looking over at Lucrezia in surprise. The other woman shrugged. 

"I admit, I worried you'd undermine my position." She said. "My father is easily distracted by new pretty things." She looked over at Benvolio. "But I hold no ire for you now." 

Rosaline hurriedly opened his lips, pouring the contents of the vial into his mouth before gently closing it and pinching his nose. He swallowed weakly. Was that color coming back to his cheeks? Was his breathing deeper? She glanced over at Lucrezia. "I don't...I don't know how to thank you."

"Go to Verona." Lucrezia said. "And be happy." She turned, leaving the room. Rosaline sat at Benvolios side, pulling his hand onto her lap.  Kissing his forehead, she pressed him against her. 

"Rest." She whispered. "We will be going home soon." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Benvolio Montague returned to Verona with Rosaline Capulet he scandalized Veronese society by directing the carriage straight to her parents' former house and bringing her inside. When her uncle came to call on her the next day, the door was opened by a half dressed Benvolio only to show Lord Capulet a Papal order declaring Rosaline Capulet the wife of Benvolio Montague before slamming the door again. 

Rosaline watched as her husband strode back into their bedchamber. "You seem to be in good spirits." 

"Well, I was hoping it would be my uncle, but yours will have to do." He lay back next to her, winding his arms around her legs and putting his head on her stomach. She ran her fingers through his hair, smiling. 

"I'm sure he was absolutely scandalized." She kissed his forehead, her eyes darting down his form. His tunic had ridden up, exposing an angry red line; the only remnant of his fight with Cesare. Her throat constricted. Benvolio kissed her stomach, attempting to get her attention back. 

"I am well." He moved up, kissing between her breasts. "I am alive." He settled himself between her legs, Rosaline smiled up at him, her hands sliding up his sides. "I will be better once I am joined with you again." 

"Again, Lord Montague?" She teased. Benvolio smirked, 

"I believe so, Lady Montague." He said gravely. "You are truly the best remedy and instrumental to my recovery." 

She pressed her lips, thrilling in how happy she was. They were alive. They were together. They were free. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Modern AU

Rosaline glared as she opened the door. "You're late." 

Benvolio, to his credit, didn't so much as blink as he walked into her apartment. "Traffic. Why do you live so far off campus?" 

"Not all of us can have our uncles bankrolling our education." She muttered, motioning to the table. "Let's get this over with." She sat across from him, pulling out her books and opening her laptop. She glanced up, he was still standing, watching her. "What?" She sighed. 

"Capulet, should we talk about-" 

"If it doesn't have to do with the project." She cut him off, knowing that it didn't. "I don't want to hear it." 

Benvolio sat heavily across from her. "So that's how this is going to be." He muttered. Rosaline decided to ignore the slight disappointment in his voice. Down that way lay madness and very...very bad decisions. She kept her focus on her books. 

"Now the other team's going to argue that the procedure was followed to the letter." She said, pulling up the mock trial notes. "But that argument doesn't hold water, seeing as the defendant was unresponsive when they were Mirandised. We can also argue the chain of possession for the evidence was tainted." She glanced up. Benvolio was looking around the apartment. She took a moment to admire the way his shirt was stretched across his shoulders and the way the muscles in his neck moved as he turned to look around the room. Flashes of memory. His arms wrapped around her, his head back, eyes focused, her name whispered as he- She tapped her pencil against the table, forcing herself out of her trance. "Are you even paying attention?" 

Benvolio jumped slightly and looked over at her. "I was just getting a feel for THE Rosaline Capulet Bachelorette Pad." He leaned back. "It's not every day a Montague gets invited into the temple of feminism." 

Rosaline crossed her arms. "Are you even going to pretend to take this seriously?" She snapped. "You may not care about your law degree, but I do and if you cost me this grade, Montague, so help me I will-" 

"Message received." He grumbled. For the rest of the evening, he jotted down her suggestions and, for the most part, let her dictate what their arguments would be for their mock trial. 

"Okay." She said. "Now, all we've got to do is decide who's doing opening and closing statements." 

Benvolio leaned on his hand. "I'll take closing." 

"Excuse me?" Rosaline snapped. 

"You're a bit..." He tilted his head, wincing. "High strung, Capulet. And while that may be ideal for law out in the real world, in our class, you're a bit...unpopular." 

The words stung more than she'd like to admit. She looked away, focusing on a knot in the wood on the table. "Yeah, because the boys in the class don't like getting their asses handed to them by a girl." 

"Which is why you're perfect for opening statements." Benvolio said. "Kill their argument straight out of the gate and it means less work for me." He tilted his head. "And for the record, Capulet. I'm not useless." 

"I never said that." 

"Didn't need to." He crossed his arms. "I got the message loud and clear when you begged professor Lawrence not to pair me with you." Genuine hurt entered his expression. 

Rosaline swallowed. "It...I..." She lowered her pen. "Look, it wasn't because I thought you were bad at-" She waved her hand over her notes. "When I found out I was going against Escalus..." She stopped. How could she explain this without severely embarrassing herself. "I wanted to win." 

"And I would make you lose." Benvolio shook his head. "Yeah, this apology is off to a great start." 

"If you'd let me finish." She snapped. "God, Montague. I didn't want to be distracted and I was right. You're the most annoying, interfering, handsome self absorbed-" 

"Handsome?" Benvolio's soft voice interrupted her tirade. She shut her eyes. 

"No." She covered her face. "Just...get out." 

He didn't move. "Capulet." He rumbled. "Are you saying you didn't want to be paired with me..." He smirked. "Because you think I'm sexy?" 

Rosaline got up. She was going to kill him. Walking over to the door, she opened it. "Out." 

Benvolio didn't move. "Capulet. All you have to do is ask." 

For a second, she considered it. She'd been on edge recently and the last time...even if it was a drunken embarrassing memory, hadn't been completely terrible. She shook herself. She wasn't desperate enough to jump a Montague sober. Nope. 

Benvolio tilted his head. "What if I told you that I find you distracting." He said. "What if I told you that I would have dropped the class at the beginning of the semester if you hadn't been in it." 

"I'd say..." She began, trying to ignore the pounding in her ears. "You're crazy because it's a requirement for graduation." 

Benvolio shrugged. "You were right earlier." He stood. "I don't care about this. But you do." He glanced at the floor. "And I kinda..." He walked to her. "I kinda wanted to spend more time with you, Capulet. Even if you haven't talked to me since we hooked up at Mercutio's party." 

"I don't know what he put in those drinks-" She began. 

"Rosaline." He stopped her. She shut her eyes, trying to forget the last time he'd used her first name. 

"I was hurting." She said. "Escalus and I...well you know how it ended and-"  He was so close and so warm. She swallowed. "I was trying to forget." 

"And now?" He asked. She shut her eyes. 

"I...just...don't know if I can trust you." She admitted. 

Benvolio exhaled. "If this is a Montagues are all liars thing..." 

"No." She said, opening her eyes. He was looking at her curiously, hanging onto her every word. "It's a...men usually let me down thing." She shook her head. "And I saw you the day after...with Stella." 

Benvolio stepped back. "Stella cheated on me." He said. "It was over between me and her before you and I hooked up. She tried to get back with me, but...it's kinda hard to trust someone who used your credit card to buy her sidedick a car." 

Rosaline smothered a snort. "Side dick?" 

Benvolio rolled his eyes. "Mercutio's word, not mine." He muttered. 

"I'm sorry." She said, covering her mouth. "It's just...sidedick." Benvolio crossed his arms, waiting for her to finish, which only made her laugh harder. It wasn't even that the situation was particularly funny, she just couldn't stop laughing. 

"You are stressed out of your mind aren't you?" He said. She leaned forward, Benvolio automatically went to steady her. She heard him close the door. He pulled her to her couch, sitting her down. 

"I just...really need to ace this project." She said. "I can't afford to let my grades slip." 

"Capulet, you're actually a genius." He said. "No, I mean it." He stopped her protests, he motioned to her notebook. "The arguments you laid out? I couldn't have come up with half of them. You're brilliant, and you should be focused on becoming the best damn lawyer this city has ever seen not on worrying about losing your scholarship." He bit his lip. "Which is why you won't." 

Rosaline frowned. "What do...what do you mean?" 

"I'm dropping out." Benvolio said. "And I'm going to ask the bursars office to send the checks my uncle sends to your account." 

"You're not going to tell him?" Rosaline said. "Benvolio that's...all types of illegal." 

Benvolio arched an eyebrow. "Do you really think so little of me, Capulet? He knows. But he's bound by my parent's will to pay for four years of college and law school. There's no stipulation as to whose law school education it has to be." He tilted his head. "I've got a head for finding loopholes." 

Rosaline was stunned. "Why?" She whispered. "Why do this for me? Because we fucked that one time." 

"First of all, crude." He said. "Second...it's more the conversation we had afterwards..." He put his hand over hers, blushing slightly. "I'm guessing you can't even remember, right. Mercutio's special brew and all." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_The room was dark. Rosaline turned on her side, trying to set her head straight. She'd slept with Benvolio Montague. What the hell had she been thinking?_

_"I can hear your brain." Benvolio mumbled, rolling over and hugging her around the waist. Rosaline glanced over her shoulder in surprise as he snuggled between her shoulder blades. She squirmed slightly as his stubble tickled her skin._

_"I was just waiting for you to run screaming from the room." She said. Benvolio laughed, his voice low and rough. Rosaline arched an eyebrow. "You do know who I am, right?"_

_"That depends." Benvolio ran his fingers over the curve of her hip. "Do you know who I am?"_

_Rosaline looked at him. "I thought I did." She admitted, turning onto her back. He propped his head on his hand, looking down at her. A smirk played at his lips._

_"I was that good?"_

_Rosaline rolled her eyes. "And now I am sure." She made to get up. Benvolio groaned._

_"Sorry." he said. "Please don't..."_

_She stopped, sitting up. He looked at her, his hair rumpled, a darkening mark on his shoulder that she'd sucked into his skin earlier._

_"I just...I know I was filling a gap, but fuck Rosaline, don't you ever get tired of pretending to hate each other? " He said. "I'd don't want to hate people because my uncle tells me to. He's an ass and if he thinks I should hate you, then it's a pretty good indication that I should fall in love with you."_

_"Oh." She bit back a smile. "So this was to get back at your uncle?"_

_Benvolio's eyes widened and a blush spread over his skin as he stammered out a reply. Rosaline bit back a laugh. It was too easy to wind him up. It was too cute...did she think he was cute? She watched as he tried to find a way to explain that this wasn't an act of defiance to his uncle. He froze when she kissed him, falling silent. She pulled back, smirking as he chased her lips._

"I wasn't..." Rosaline bit her lip. "I wasn't that drunk." She admitted. "And I do remember." They'd talked about much that night. He'd shared things with her that she was sure he'd never talked about with most people. She couldn't believe he'd do this for her. "So...art school." 

Benvolio looked up in shock. 

"It's what you said you wanted to do." She explained. "Told you I remembered." 

Benvolio grimaced. "I don't know about art school, perse...since I don't have a way to pay for it." He grimaced. "And he'll probably kick me out when I quit and don't go into the family business." 

"Well..." She looked at the couch she was sitting on. "I know this is a step down from Montague Manor, but...I do have this couch." 

Benvolio didn't speak, his mouth slightly agape. Rosaline bit her lip. 

"Say something?" 

"No, it's just..." He hesitated. "You do know I wasn't...I didn't expect you to offer me to stay here." 

"It's not a bed at the Ritz, Montague." She shook her head. "It's a couch." A smile teased at his lips. 

"What can I ever do to repay you?" 

Rosaline rolled her eyes. "Just don't let the dishes pile up." They stared at each other. 

"So..." he said. "Should we talk about-" 

"No." Rosaline stood. "We're not. That isn't. You and...no." She stood. Benvolio laughed. 

"Come on, Capulet." He smirked, "You know you-" Rosaline pressed a kiss to his mouth, grinning as he hummed, smiling against her lips. 

"Anything else to say, Montague?" 

He licked his lips. "Just one thing..." He opened his eyes. Rosaline's breath caught. "It's actually Montague Mansion, not Manor. Just -" He ducked as she grabbed the closest couch pillow and hitting him over the head. 


	10. Chapter 10

Rosaline breathed heavily as she pressed against the cold stones of the wall. The guards had taken Escalus as soon as she and Benvolio entered the palace. Isabella was giving orders, sending him off to the healers and organizing a counteract. She'd ordered Benvolio and Rosaline into a side room. "For their own safety". Rosaline shuddered, feeling the warm wetness of Esacalus' blood, covering her chest. She retched, tearing at her gown.

"Capulet." It was Benvolio's voice, but she couldn't focus.

"I can't..." She managed to get her cloak off, throwing it across the room. "I need this off. I can't...I...I...I." She was covered in the blood of one of her oldest friends. The city was on fire and he had Livia god knew where. She needed to get it off. She needed to regain control. The front of her dress ripped open, exposing her shift. the red of the blood standing out against the white of the material.

"ROSALINE." Benvolio grabbed her arms, stopping her from causing any more damage. She pushed against his hands before looking up at him. Benvolio was worried, he was also covered in blood, but alive....He was alive. She hadn't lost him.

"Benvolio." She whispered, letting herself fall forward. He held her in his arms, breathing into her hair. "You're alive." She warbled.

He nodded. "Yes, Capulet." He whispered. Her heart slowed. She shut her eyes, listening to his pulse pound beneath her ear.

"I can't wear this dress." She whispered. "I wasn't....I can't lose... anyone else."

Benvolio pulled back. He cupped her chin. "Rosaline." He whispered, pulling off his doublet. "Listen to me. Once this is over I swear to you, we will go and find Livia and make Paris pay for...for anything he might have done to her." 

Rosaline knew he meant it and though there was no plan and it seemed a completely unattainable goal, she believed he'd do everything in his power to help her. She calmed slightly. 

"Now." He said, standing and turning. Pulling off his outer doublet, he handed it to her. "Remove that dress and cover yourself with this. I'll go see if I can get any information." 

Rosaline had half pulled her dress off before his words registered. He made his way to the door. She grabbed him. "Are you mad?" She hissed. "Not even a half hour ago you were the most hated man in Verona. Though Escalus may have pardoned you, he lies near death and someone..." Her words caught in her throat, but he seemed to understand.

"Someone might seek to take their revenge on me." He finished. She nodded.

"Stay." She swallowed. "I...I find I can bear not knowing if I have you here. I do not want to have to fear for your safety on top of everyone else I care for." 

Benvolio ducked his head, wiping at his eyes. "You care for me, Capulet?" He turned, clearing his throat. She took the opportunity to remove her outer gown and pull his doublet over her shoulders. She pulled it tight around her, sitting in a chair and looked around at the room. It was lavish, one of the guest quarters for foreign noblemen. 

"You're my..." She began, fulling intending to say friend, but the word wouldn't come. It somehow didn't seem adequate anymore. She shook her head. "Montague." 

He looked over at her, the barest hint of a smile curling his lips. "I'm your Montague?" He sat across from her. "I'm not sure I'd like to retain that name." 

Rosaline hesitated. "You mentioned...in the dungeons...something about your cursed name?" 

Benvolio sighed, his shoulders slumping. Outside a loud noise sounded and horns blew, announcing the arrival of someone at the city gates. "It's not important now." He said. "My...my aunt, Tessa came to visit me in the dungeon and revealed something to me." He stopped, going no further. 

Rosaline decided the best course of action would be to deflect until he was ready to address the subject directly. "I have never met your aunt." 

He snorted. "Count that as a blessing, Capulet. She is quite cruel." 

"She can't be worse than my aunt." Rosaline remarked. Benvolio looked at her in surprise, then a smile teased the corner of his lips. 

"Quite right you are." He murmured. "It is fortuitous that they are from rival houses for Verona would not survive their friendship." A silence followed his words. Benvolio shut his eyes. "I am a fool." He murmured.

 "We are all, in our own way." Rosaline played with the frayed edge of his doublet. 

Benvolio snorted. "Except you, of course." He mumbled. "You're quite perfect." 

Rosaline felt heat rising to her face. She was about to answer when something struck the window. In flash, Benvolio pulled her off the chair and to the far side of the room, covering her with his body. Rosaline quaked, gripping him tightly. 

"Do you think the fighting will breach the inside of the palace?" She asked. 

"Truthfully?" Benvolio murmured. "I'm starting to think I was safer in the dungeons." He glanced down at her. "Though you are infinitely better company than the rats." 

Rosaline snorted. "At least I've lived long enough to hear you say that." She murmured. "Though I suppose it is a step up from harpy." 

Benvolio grimaced. They listened the commotion around them, trying to discern who was friend or foe. They moved, sitting so their backs were against the wall. Rosaline gripped his hand, needing something to tether her from the wash of her racing thoughts. 

"Do you think he will survive?" Rosaline whispered. 

Benvolio didn't respond. 

"If he dies..." She said. "Will you..."  She didn't know how to organize how she was feeling. She knew her love for Escalus was not as fierce as it once was. She knew she was terrified of losing him, but that fear was also mixed with a raging inferno of terror at the thought of losing Benvolio. If Escalus died, who was to say that his pardon would remain? And if Paris triumphed. Then her life and Benvolio's were forfeit. "Still be safe." She murmured. 

"Capulet." Benvolio's voice was raw. "I do not know what the future holds, but I swear to you. I will not allow anything to tear me from you without a fight." He waited until she faced him to add, "because I care for you." He hesitated. "That...that kiss in the dungeon was more than just the last hope of a condemned man." He squeezed her fingers. "You are truly the only person I have in this world."  

Rosaline shut her eyes. A sound of clashing metal came from outside. She pressed her face Benvolio's shoulder, letting him tuck her against his side. "As you are the only person I have in mine." Without Livia, she had no one except him. She loved him. The realization made her grip his arm a little tighter. "And that kiss was more than the pity of an emotional woman. I...I find I cannot picture my life without you as a part of it." 

They sat in silence, jumping at every noise. 

"Poison." Benvolio murmured. Rosaline looked at him in surprise. "That was what my aunt told me. She informed me that my dear uncle poisoned my father for his title." He looked over at Rosaline. "I feel I should be furious or sad or...something, but...I feel nothing." He shrugged. "It seems rather trivial now that Paris is coming to set Verona to fire and metal and that your sister is missing. Who am I to wonder at a death that happened all those years ago." 

"Do not say that." Rosaline said. The two of them had lost too much at the whims of more powerful and influential men. "When this is over, we will make sure your uncle pays for his misdeeds and you become the rightful head of house Montague." 

Benvolio scoffed. "I want nothing of house Montague." He said. "And as for my uncle. All I ask is that I never see him again." He looked at her. "All I need is here."

Rosaline "Well, I'm afraid I'm rather...." She pulled at the doublet. "Attached to this garment at the moment, so if you want it returned..." She trailed off as Benvolio gave her an exasperated look. He was warm and his lips, parted slightly as he looked at her with annoyed fondness, were so inviting. She leaned closer, feeling the rough taste of his chapped lips against hers. She sighed, pulling him by his tunic so he was more firmly against her. While the world burned outside, the two of them had each other and for a moment, Rosaline knew it would be alright.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some smut, because after what ABC put us through, we deserve it, dammit!

Benvolio had come home from the palace, fully intent on brooding in their bedroom for a while when Rosaline entered, wearing her old servant's dress, her hands and chest covered in flour. 

"Husband." She smiled, walking towards the tub, testing the water she'd had drawn. "I did not expect you back until later." 

"I left early." He tilted his head, taking in her appearance. The servant's dress was so simple and yet it somehow made her beauty shine brighter. After the day he'd had, the sight of her was more than he could wish for. Rosaline smoothed her hands down the front of her dress before looking back at him, a clear "My lord uncle was there and tried to corner me." 

Rosaline nodded her understanding. Benvolio had had to hold her back from striking his uncle when he'd revealed the truth about the death of his father. It had been quite a scene. He loved how protective she was of him. He'd never known how it was to feel loved without restraint. 

"Do you require me to go down there and teach him a lesson?" She smirked, going over to pick out a gown. Benvolio watched her movements, frowning. 

"Are we having guests tonight?" He said, reaching out to stop her hand. Rosaline shook her head. 

"I just...I wanted to change before dinner so that I might be presentable." She said. Benvolio looked down at her servant's gown. He wondered if it was the same one he'd first seen her in the night they'd been witnesses for Romeo and Juliet's wedding. She'd been so beautiful, strong, independent and even then she'd not let him intimidate her or boss her around, taking charge and completely bowling him over. 

"This is presentable." He murmured. Rosaline arched an eyebrow. 

"Do you prefer me as a servant?" She said. 

"No." He shook his head. "Gowns, clothes, colors. It matters not." He pressed himself closer to her. She tilted her chin up, sliding her hands over his shoulders. "All I care about." He murmured, bringing his lips closer to hers. She was warm, comforting. "Is the woman beneath them." 

"Well, that fits with your reputation, Montague." Rosaline teased. He closed his eyes, her breath on his lip making him shudder. He needed her. His pulse pounded in his ears and he felt lightheaded as his blood rushed southward. "I suppose the lord of an established house would like chasing after servant girls." She whispered. He groaned as she tugged at the small hairs at the back of his head, the action making him jerk forwards. 

"You..." He murmured. "You know that isn't..." He couldn't think straight. She might not have been as experienced as he was at the beginning of their marriage, but let it never be said that Rosaline Montague nee Capulet wasn't a quick and enthusiastic learner. 

"Lord Montague." She teased. "We must hurry before someone catches us. What would people say if they found you with a servant?" She trailed her hands down his chest before sinking to her knees in front of him. Her fingers made quick work of his laces. 

"Ros." He gasped as she pulled him free, her hand heating his already burning flesh. She hummed, running her tongue over him. He swore, his hips canting forward. She moved back, taking her warmth with her. "Ros." This time the endearment was a whine. She chuckled, completely amused by his need. Glaring down at her, he urged her to her feet. "Bed." He said. "Now." 

"Are you ordering me?" She asked. "Taking this game a bit too seriously, Lord Montague?" 

He kissed the smile off her face, tugging the blue outer layer of her dress off. "I am begging you." He whispered. Rosaline devested him of his doublet and tunic, running her hands over his chest and stomach, her fingers leaving goose flesh in their wake. He loved watching her touch him. He loved the contrast of her skin against his; the soft darkness that made him flush and consumed him. She stepped back, tilting her head before glancing behind him. 

"I have a better idea." She gave him a wicked look that both terrified and excited him. He let her urge him to the tub. She was pressed against him, her breasts brushing against his back. He shut his eyes. "It has been a long day." She whispered. "Come. It is large enough for the two of us." She pressed her lips to the juncture of his shoulder, nipping slightly. "Let us wash away our troubles." 

He sat in a tub. She slid in after him, making herself comfortable against him. He wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling against her hair. 

 

 

 

 

Rosaline closed her eyes, letting him run his hands over her. It would be so easy to let him do as he pleased, but she knew he was still upset by the run in with his uncle. She wanted to make him forget. She wanted to chase away the pain of the encounter. She wanted him to make him know he was loved and to show him why she trusted him above anyone in this world. He was so good and kind and gentle. 

"Benvolio." She whispered, pushing away his fingers. He stilled. She could feel his confusion. 

"Something wrong, beloved." He sounded so worried that her heart clenched. 

"No." She murmured. "I just..." She turned, sloshing the water. It was warm, the steam turning Benvolio's skin pink and making her hair frizz. She let her eyes linger over him, memories of a stolen glance at the inn so long ago, making her melt. Benvolio watched as she rose slightly, bracketing his thighs with her own. "I have a small confession to make." She admitted. "Remember when we were together at that inn?" 

Benvolio nodded. 

"Well..." She ran her fingers over his chest. "I may have..." She swallowed. Benvolio's eyes darkened as she ducked her head. "I may have looked when you stood up from the bath." 

Benvolio's jaw dropped. "Are you trying to tell me?" He whispered. "That the virtuous Rosaline Capulet looked stole a glance at a naked man?" 

"One who would become her husband." Rosaline retorted. 

"Ah." Benvolio looked entirely too satisfied with himself. "But then you still hoped to be a nun, Capulet." He ran his eyes down her form. "Did that glance convince you it was foolish? Was I so glorious that you revoked holy orders?" 

"Montague!" She gasped, splashing him. He didn't so much as flinch, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "You blasphemous cad." He pulled her into his arms, sealing his lips over hers. She kissed him, enjoying the feel of his lips over hers. 

"Well?" He murmured. She couldn't imagine what he was talking about. 

"What?" She whispered. 

"Was that what drove you away from holy orders?" His hands traveled down her hips. She arched up as his fingers skimmed over her sex. 

"You..." She breathed out. "Think....entirely....oh." His thumb was rubbing the nub of her pleasure, causing her to grip him. "Think entirely too much of yourself." 

"I do?" Benvolio lifted his hips. Rosaline's eyes fluttered closed as his manhood brushed against her sex, full of promise as what was to come. Benvolio gave her another lingering kiss, nipping her lower lip before leaning back. "Might I have an answer to my query?" 

Rosaline stood. Benvolio gaped at her as she got out of the tub. She walked towards the bed, her legs trembling slightly. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she looked over at him. How brazen was she, she thought to herself. She'd heard women talk about how weak and demure the sharing of their marriage bed made them, but it was not so with her and Benvolio. From the beginning he'd made her feel powerful, beautiful and adored. Treating her as his equal, he'd wanted her to be comfortable with him. He'd wanted her to make sure that she always felt she could communicate what she wanted and needed. 

"Are you not going to join me?" She held out her hand. Benvolio tripped, knocking over the tub in his eagerness to be free of it, sending water splashing over the floor. Rosaline let out a laugh, pulling her feet up on the mattress and scooting up as Benvolio climbed over her. He settled between her legs, his lips attaching themselves to her throat. She gripped his shoulders as he entered her. Though they'd done this many times before, there was no getting used to the exquisite stretch and push of him joining with her. Her legs squeezed him like a vice as he rocked his hips forward. 

Benvolio's forehead pressed to hers. He always kept his eyes on her, watching each of her expressions as they moved together. Once, he'd confessed that he wished he was able to draw her when she was in ecstasy.  She'd teased that he preferred the feel of wooden pencils between his fingers than his wife's flesh. 

"Oh Ros." He whispered. "How I love you."

Her heart swelled. She sloppily pressed her lips to any part of his face she could reach, the tickle of his beard beneath her lips made her whine. She was close, she just needed...

Benvolio drew one hand down her body and gently circled his fingers, her eyes closed as explosions danced behind her eyelids. Heat raced through her stomach, burning as she fell apart, trusting that Benvolio would hold her together until she regained her mind. 

They traded heated, lazy kisses as they cooled, the slick sweat on their bodies drying. Rosaline giggled, running her fingers through her husband's hair, spiking it upwards. "You look a state." Her voice was hoarse. 

"She speaks." Benvolio teased. "You're always so silent during our lovemaking." He kissed her lips. "Honestly it's half the appeal." 

"Half?" Rosaline gasped. 

"You're right." He fell back on the pillows, a smug smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "It's about two thirds." He tugged her closer, plastering her to his side. 

"I'll show you two thirds." She mumbled, feeling a lethargy spreading through her legs. The room fell silent as they simply enjoyed the peace of each others' proximity. 

"What were you doing covered in flour?" Benvolio asked. 

"Baking two thirds of cake to celebrate my impending widowhood." Rosaline mumbled, eliciting a laugh from her husband. She propped her chin on his chest, looking him in the eye. "Actually it was for something else..." She tilted her head. "How would you feel about hiring someone to redesign our spare room." 

Benvolio frowned. "We just converted it into a study." Though he didn't really use it. "Why on earth would we change it?" 

"Perhaps because we will be soon be expecting a new resident in this house." Rosaline suggested innocently. The confused lines on Benvolio's brow deepened. 

"I thought Livia had taken permanent residence at the palace as Isabella's lady in waiting." 

"She has." Rosaline waited for him to put it together. His eyes widened as his jaw fell open. He held his breath, doubt entering his eyes. It almost seemed that he didn't dare hope. "Two months have passed, husband. And no monthly flow. I do believe we can safely-" Her words were muffled as Benvolio pulled her up and mashed their lips together. The joy they both felt made her felt secure and at peace. 

"I will design the room myself." He whispered as they broke apart, his excitement dancing in his eyes. He sat up, clearly already planning the changes he was going to have to make. 

"Montague." She said, laughing. "We have months yet." He froze, a blush forming on his cheeks. "Or are you so eager to be away from me?" 

"Never, Capulet." He reassured her. She reached out for him, pulling him against her.

"Let us keep this to ourselves." She whispered. "Just a little while longer before this baby becomes the property of the city." Even though their marriage was no longer a political ploy, its existence was still part of the day to day feud. A baby from their union would be used on both sides as a way to either add or dissuade the feud. 

"It is ours." He agreed. "No one will take them from us." He pressed his hand to her abdomen, trying to feel it moving. "And no one will take us from them." He whispered. Rosaline covered his hand with hers, silently promising that her husband would have the opportunity to do with his child all the things he'd been unable to do with his father. He kissed her forehead. "What is on your mind?" He asked. 

"Just wondering how much of the cake I'll have to share with my husband." She sighed. 

Benvolio laughed. "Now who's trying to escape." 

"My love." Rosaline flashed him a smile before getting up. "In my case, there is cake." 


	12. Chapter 12

Rosaline swatted angrily at the 10th mosquito that flew at her face. "What is she up to?" She hissed to Livia as Juliet bounced in front of them, completely at ease with their surroundings. "When did miss glamping become Ranger Juliet?"

Livia drew her hand across her forehead, pausing to catch her breath. "She was a girl scout." She suggested. Rosaline snorted.

"The closest thing to camping that the girl scouts did was a tent in the middle of the community center gym." Rosaline growled. "Something's up."

Juliet turned, grinning from ear to ear. Oh yes, definitely up to something. "Nearly there." She called down to them.

"Nearly where?" Rosaline said. "How is it that you know where we're going? You hate the woods."

"No I don't." Juliet pouted, tossing her hair before walking forward. She looked immaculate while Livia and Rosaline were sweating and itchy.

"There's poison ivy over there." Rosaline muttered, motioning to a vine climbing a tree right near where Juliet was approaching. "We could make it look like an accident."

Livia scoffed, elbowing Rosaline. They walked in silence for another 20 minutes before coming up on a clearing. Across it was a large cabin. Well more rusti mansion, than cabin. It was the type that screamed 'rich man attempting to act out Hemingway fantasy'. There was a large Escalade parked outside. At the sight, Juliet perked up.

"Jules." Livia said. "What-"

The door to the cabin mansion opened and a man came out. Rosaline squinted. Her eyes widened as she recognized Romeo Montague. "Juliet." She said.

Her cousin ignored her, squealing with joy before dropping her bag and running across the field. The Montague looked up at the sound and...smiled? What the hell was going on.

"Ros, did you-" Livia began.

"No." Rosaline growled.

"Are they-"

"Maybe-"

"Should we-"

"Hell no." Rosaline dropped her backpack and strode across the field. Juliet had a head start and made it to the cabin. Romeo opened his arms and caught her as she jumped up, kissing him. Rosaline made it to the stairs of the cabin just in time to see Juliet's tongue disappear down Romeo's throat.

"Urgh." She retched. The door opened. Rosaline glanced towards it and groaned. As if this day could get any worse.

"Romeo." Benvolio gaped at his cousin in shock. "What are you doing and-" He looked down the stairs and froze. His mouth hung open as he took her in. Rosaline straightened her spine, forcing herself to focus on the couple in front of her.

"Juliet." She snapped. They ignored her. Mercutio swaggered out of the house, throwing an arm around Benvolio's shoulders.

"Ah....young love." He sighed. "It's just..." He wiped his eyes. "So beautiful." He glanced down at Rosaline. "Hey Ros." He looked across the field. "And Livy!" He waved at her. She lifted a hand, a strained and confused smile on her face. "Now it's a party!" He looked at Rosaline. "The only way it could be more fun is if you brought Tybalt for me to punch in the dick."

Rosaline scoffed. Benvolio glared at his friend. "You knew about..." he grimaced and motioned towards Juliet and Romeo who still hadn't come up for air. "That."

Rosaline didn't want to be seen as doing anything close to agreeing with Benvolio, but she understood his sentiment. Mercutio snorted. 

"Uh duh? Who do you think has been helping them bang?" He stuck a thumb towards his chest. "This guy." 

Benvolio rolled his eyes. "You're despicable." 

"And you all love me for it." Mercutio smacked Benvolio's ass and swaggered down the steps, breaking through Romeo and Juliet to go to Rosaline and Livia. "Ros." He took her hand, pulling it up to his lips. "Livy." He turned to give the same attention to her sister. "Tell me you kicked Paris to the curb?" 

"Yup." She said. "Dumped his ass last week." 

"That's my girl." Mercutio threw an arm around her shoulder. "And that other thing we discussed?" 

"Isabella and I have a date next thrusday." Livia mumbled, looking away from Rosaline as her jaw dropped. 

"And you didn't tell me because...?" Rosaline said. 

"Probably because she was worried you'd be judgmental about it." Benvolio suggested. Rosaline shot him a glare. 

"Don't you have a keg stand to do or a cheerleader to flirt with?" She snapped, crossing her arms. "We're not staying here." 

"Oh come on, Ros." Mercutio put his arm around her and pulled her to the stairs. "It's a lost cause and you know it. This is my place which means it comes complete with mini bars for the bars, a sweet sound system, a Jacuzzi, a pool and massage chairs."  He let out a satisfied sigh. "This....this is camping." He led them inside. "So since Romeo and Juliet and going to be doing the horizontal mambo in Romeo's room that leaves you and Livvy without rooms." He looked over at Livia. "You can take the room next to mine and you, Rozzie Bear, can take..." He walked her up the stairs and motioned to the before last door down the hall. "This room which...." He grinned, dragging her down the hall. She stumbled. 

"Mercutio, let me..." She stopped as he opened the door next to her bedroom. She gaped and stepped in. "Go." It was a library, with cherry wood shelves, comfy armchairs, large windows that let in the light and had a view on the forest, and so...so so many books. 

"I'd ask if you like it, but the drooling pretty much answers my question." Mercutio swaggered in. "This is nature as it should be enjoyed. From behind glass with a glass of rose." He swept out of the room. "Dinner's going to be soon. Benvolio's being all manly and grilling." 

Rosaline's bubble burst. "We can't stay here." 

"Yes you are." Mercutio dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "Come on, Rozzle dozzle. This is way better than whatever Into the Wild reenactment you and the girls had planned." He glanced at her clothes. "So shower and I'll have cocktails ready for you." He left. 

 

 

 

 

Dinner was quiet. Rosaline decided that the way to survive this weekend was to avoid confrontation and stick to the library. If she only interacted with Benvolio and Romeo during meal times, it would lead to less disaster. It didn't stop her from grabbing Juliet and pulling her to her room after dinner. 

"Rosaline, Romeo and I were going star gazing." She grinned, a faraway look in her eyes that made Rosaline grit her teeth. 

"If you father finds out where we are right now and what you're doing-" 

"He'll be so pissed." Juliet grinned, the thought of her father's ire was apparently funny to her. 

"Yeah and who do you think is going to get the blame?" She whispered. Juliet's eyes widened. 

"I'm sorry." She murmured. "Ros, I didn't think-" 

"Clearly." Rosaline growled. "Just...go. Be careful and...don't get eaten by a bear while stargazing." She watched Juliet go to the stairs. Just as she started to go down, Benvolio made it to the top. He caught Rosaline's eye, but she shut the door to her room. She was tired. Changing into her pajamas, she went to the bathroom, intent on braiding her hair and brushing her teeth. She pushed open the door and came face to face with a very naked Benvolio Montague coming out of the shower and...oh god. He froze. 

She kept her eyes on his face, practically shaking with the effort, because if she looked down it was probable that she wouldn't be able to look up again. Benvolio grabbed his towel, covering himself. Rosaline turned her back. 

"Capulet, what the hell?" Benvolio growled. 

"I was trying to brush my teeth." She said, her face heated. "I didn't....I thought this was my bathroom." 

"So did I." Benvolio muttered. "I am going to fucking kill Mercutio." 

Rosaline glanced over her shoulder. He had just tied the towel around his waist. She whirled around as he looked up. Squeezing her eyes shut, she said. "We should figure out a schedule or something." 

"Agreed." Benvolio grunted. "If you use the bathroom, lock the door to my room." He turned and walked out, closing the door. Rosaline let go of a breath before locking the door behind him and splashing cold water on her face, trying to freeze the image of Benvolio's bare chest and the glimpse of him she'd gotten. She'd heard the rumors, everyone had. (Mostly because Mercutio had once gotten drunk at a frat party and sung its praises from the roof with a a megaphone.) But she'd never actually believed. 

"No." She muttered to herself, pulling out her toothbrush and toothpaste. "What you're not going to do is think about Benvolio Montague's giant dick." 

 

 

 

 

 

"TORTURE" Mercutio's shout greeted her as she came down the stairs next morning. 

"Stop overreacting." Benvolio groaned. 

"Torture, I say." Mercutio was sipping a giant cup of coffee the size of his head. "They have laws against this sort of thing. Laws and international tribunals." 

Benvolio shook his head and made eye contact with Rosaline. She might have imagined it, but for a moment it seemed that a blush crawled up his cheeks. He turned, his attention back to the stove. 

"Oh Rosaline, thank god. A sane person." Mercutio turned and looked at her. "Tell him he can't do this to us." 

"Whatever it is, Mercutio's right." Rosaline went to the breakfast bar, and grabbed a cup and the coffee pot. Benvolio snorted. 

"Guess, I should have expected nothing less from you, Capulet." He mumbled. "You'd drink poison if I told you it was bad for you." 

Rosaline ignored him. 

"He wants to go on a hike." Mercutio was clearly irked at being ignored. "A hike. I'm pretty sure that constitutes cruel and unusual punishment." He glared over at Benvolio. "A violation of my rights." 

"A hike?" Rosaline asked. Benvolio nodded. 

"There's this waterfall." Mercutio explained, gesturing wildly. "And DaVinci here wants to go to be _inspired_."

This time Benvolio did flush and Rosaline had to focus on her cup of coffee in order to not think about just how far that blush might travel.

"Monet." She said. Mercutio and Benvolio turned to look at her. "Da Vinci didn't paint outside, Monet was an impressionist and spent hours painting outside, trying to capture the light." She shrugged.

Mercutio shook his head. "Nerds." He said in a sing song voice.

"Waterfall has a small pool at the bottom." Benvolio said. "It's secluded."

Mercutio perked up before rushing to the stairs. "LIVY ROMEO JULES. GRAB YOUR GEAR AND LEAVE YOUR SWIMSUITS HERE. WE'RE GOING HIKING." 

 

 

 

 

"Urgh." Benvolio grimaced as Romeo and Juliet somehow managed to avoid crashing into a tree while walking and making out.

"Scientifically speaking." Rosaline agreed. "That should be impossible." She and Benvolio shared an amused look. Then they both realized who they were looking at and turned away. Mercutio and Livia were behind them, having a heated discussion. About what, Rosaline didn't know, because every time she looked back at them, they'd glare at her. "What really worries me is whatever the fuck is going on back there." 

Benvolio glanced back. "Well that seems like it's not at all worrisome for anyone." He sighed. "Mercutio's got his scheming face on." He hoisted his bag of art supplies higher on his shoulder. 

"Got any interesting shots?" Rosaline asked. Benvolio arched an eyebrow. She'd seen him snapping pictures while the rest of them swam. He studied her, obviously deciding whether or not her question was worth his attention. 

"Some." He finally replied. 

"Descriptive." She retorted. 

"As if you were actually interested, Capulet." He muttered. "You're just trying to kill time and make small talk even though I'm the last person you'd want to be stuck in the woods with." 

"I don't want to be stuck in the woods, period." Rosaline snapped. He was so annoying. The lake had been fun. Why couldn't he just be pleasant for one second without immediately following it up with a being a jerk. "And I was trying to be polite. You're the one who decided to be an asshole about it." She sped up, intent on passing the two lovebirds when there was a crash from behind her. She turned. 

"Livia?" 

Livia was bent over Mercutio who was clutching his leg. He'd tripped over a tree stump. Once he saw that everyone's attention was on him, he threw back his head. 

"Oh merciful god." He whined. 

Benvolio walked over to him. "Are you okay, Mercutio?" 

"It's a scratch." Mercutio said dramatically. "Not so deep as a well or wide as a church door." 

"He's fine." Benvolio rolled his eyes. Romeo came over to them and knelt next to his friend. 

"You okay bro?" 

"Sure." Mercutio grabbed his arm. "Ask me tomorrow and I'll be a very grave man." He squinted up at Romeo. "This is your fault. You and Jules sucking face distracted me and I walked right into that." 

Livia looked up from his leg. "It's just a flesh wound. Scratches and a few splinters. I wouldn't put too much weight on it and I need to clean it when we get back to the house." 

"You heard the woman." Mercutio said, reaching to his friends. "Carry me brethren. I can't support my own weight." Benvolio and Romeo shared and annoyed look before putting one of Mercutio's arms over each of their shoulders and lifting him.   

 

 

 

 

That night Mecrutio was milking his injury for all it was worth. At first it had been funny, but after the third hour of watching him forget which leg he'd injured and listening to him get into fights with Livia about whether or not Alcohol was a panacea (How dare you doubt Captain Morgan's restorative powers, Livvie darling?) Rosaline had had enough. Benvolio looked over at her. 

"You're tired, aren't you?" He murmured. She nodded. He snorted. "Yeah, Romeo and Juliet will do that to you." He stood. Merc, I think Ros and I have had more than we can take of your grievous injury."

Mercutio and Livia shared a look before turning back to Benvolio and Rosaline.

"Ros?" He said.

Benvolio's ears turned red. "I'm going to bed." He mumbled, turning and walking away. Rosaline put her head on the table. 

"Wait." Mercutio called after him. "Ros isn't with you."

"Mercutio." Rosaline said slowly, silencing his laughter. "Keep talking and I'll give you an injury on the other side so your legs match." She stood and went to the stairs. Benvolio was waiting for her outside her bedroom. They looked at each other. 

"I was..." He motioned to the door. "I wanted to make sure you wanted to use the bathroom first." 

"Yeah." Rosaline muttered. "Wouldn't want to walk in on that again." 

"That?" Benvolio smirked. "As though you didn't enjoy all you saw." 

Rosaline felt her cheeks burn. "I'm going to the shower." She said. 

Benvolio nodded. "I'll wait until your signal..." He looked like he had more to say. Rosaline waited, but when he didn't she gave him a small nod and walked to the door. "Do you still like astronomy?" His words were hushed. 

Rosaline turned. "What?" 

Benvolio shut his eyes. "I just...I remember when we were in school you were obsessed with outer space." He rubbed his eyes. "And there's a roof access and..." He shook his head, dropping his hand to his side. "Forget it-" He mumbled. 

Rosaline didn't know why she was so disappointed. Before she could stop herself she'd blurted out, "could you show me?" 

Benvolio looked up, he seemed guarded. He thought she was messing with him, though she couldn't blame him. 

"Can you show me?" 

He nodded, pulling her over to a closet She couldn't help the laugh that bubbled in her throat at his enthusiasm. The closet had a trapdoor in the ceiling. Benvolio opened it, pulling down a staircase. He motioned to it. "After you." 

"So this is where the Montagues keep the dead bodies." She quipped as she climbed. "Secret attic room?" 

"Yes." Benvolio retorted. "And you'll make a lovely addition to our collection." He climbed up behind her. There was small room with a door. Rosaline opened it. The air outside was cool. She stepped out, tilting her head up to the sky. She gasped. In the city, the light pollution blocked her from being able to see this, even with the high power telescope her father had gotten her. She hadn't used it since her parents died. She sat, feeling dizzy, keeping her eyes on sky. 

Benvolio sat next to her. Suddenly a jacket enveloped her shoulders. She glanced at him. "You were shivering." He muttered. She gave him a small smile. 

"Thank you." She murmured, looking back up at the stars. They sat in silence. Rosaline had never so appreciated the way two people could sit and just be together. With others she always felt uncomfortable with long silences. Not with Benvolio. Strangely, the person she'd always felt she should hate was the most at ease with. Should hate, she realized, but didn't. She wasn't sure if there was anyone that she truly hated. Not even her aunt, after all she'd put her and Livia through and her uncle, for all of his cold indifference. Certainly not Benvolio. 

"Really puts things into perspective." Benvolio murmured. "How tiny we are...and how stupid our problems are in comparison to..." he motioned. "All of this." 

"Kind of makes you wonder why anyone would believe they had any power over anyone else." She murmured. "How anyone could feel they were important when we are all so-" 

"Puny." Benvolio supplied. 

She snorted.

"I used to come up here to get out of my head." He said. "It made..." He paused. "It's not important." He mumbled. They sat for a while longer. 

"Could we come up here tomorrow?" She asked. Benvolio arched an eyebrow.

"We?" He asked. 

"Couldn't deprive you of time with Ros." She shot back. He shook his head. 

Another silence fell. Anxiously she glanced over at him, not sure why the thought of him turning her down upset her. It was cold. Shivering, she stood to go back inside, handing him his jacket. 

"Rosaline." He covered her hand with his. "I think...I'd like for us to come out here tomorrow."

She gave him a smile. "Goodnight, Montague."

He grinned. "Goodnight Capulet."  


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Modern AU  
> Forced vacation

"You want me to WHAT?" She shouted. Her uncle winced, glancing at his office door

"Rosaline." He murmured, pressing a hand to his forehead, as though she was being unreasonable. As though him prostituting her for PR purposes was as ordinary as asking her to check a file for him.

"No. No no no. No." She shook her head backing away. "You can't just...force me to go on vacation with Benvolio Montague because the company needs good press." She crossed her arms. "You can't use me to...restore the confidence that this rivalry with Montague Industries-"

Her uncle stood, his chair clattering to the floor. Rosaline flinched. "I took you in after your father died." He growled. "You and your sister. I paid for your college education and I gave you a lucrative job at this company. If this doesn't work, you stand to lose as much as I." 

Rosaline scoffed, crossing her arms. "You just want to force me to do what you believe is beneath your daughter." She hissed. "Romeo and Juliet are around the same age and can actually stand to be in the same room as each other.-"

"Rosaline." Her uncle glared at her. "This isn't up for discussion." He fixed her with a pointed look. "And after your embarrassing scandal with Escalus, I would think you would understand the importance of reputation." 

Rosaline flinched at the stab of pain her uncle's words. She'd lost the arguement, which is how, three hours later, she found herself in a company car headed to the airport, a suitcase full of clothes that weren't hers, to a private jet where she would be stuck with Benvolio Montague on the way to Aruba. She hated this. She hated this vacation. She hated the stupid dress her uncle had forced her into to look like she was going onto a flirty vacation with

The car stopped on the tarmac on the private airfield. Benvolio Montague was already waiting for her. He was leaning against a sports car, wearing a black leather jacket, black jeans, white tee shirt, and sun glasses. At the approach of her car he straightened, the thick shades obscuring some of his reaction. He had to be as upset about this as her.

The car slowed to a stop. Benvolio walked over to her door. It was petty, but she almost moved to the other side of the car so he'd open the wrong door. She squashed the impulse. All she needed to do was survive this weekend and she could use the time away from her family to look for a job somewhere far away from their company. California...or was that too close?

The car door opened and Benvolio held out his hand. She took it, forcing a smile on her face as he helped her out.

"Please kill me." She hissed as she passed him.

"Can't. If I do, who's going to be left to kill me?" He whispered back. She grabbed her suitcase and her bag and marched towards the jet, Benvolio trailing behind her.

"Shit."

She turned, annoyed. What could that Montague possibly have to complain about now? He wasn't looking at her, instead he was focused across the tarmac. There were approaching news vans...the paparazzi.

"Shit." She agreed.

"My uncle must have called them." They both said at the same time before frowning at the other. "Your uncle?"

Benvolio put his hand on her back, urging her forward. "Doesn't matter which one it was. Unless you want to have to sell this to a bunch of cameramen, we need to book it."

Loathe as she was to agree with him, he was right. Putting her bag higher on her shoulder, she quickly handed off her suitcase to the baggage attendant. Behind her, Benvolio did the same. She climbed the stairs, getting into the plane. The first press van got to the plane as the doors closed. Rosaline watched as he paused next to the seat in front of her. She frowned, daring him to sit in front of her. He shook his head.

"This side has a window seat." He said, going to the next group of seats, away from her. Rosaline frowned. 

"You seem to be deluded into thinking I care." She muttered, pulling out a book. She happened to glance at Benvolio, completely by accident, he was looking at her over the seat, exasperation etched on his face. She opened her book, determined not to even acknowledge that he was breathing the same air. 

 

 

 

 

 

They managed to make it through check in without incident. Their uncles had apparently gone all out; the largest private suite in the resort was theirs. Rosaline bitterly thought that this vacation cost more than all the money her uncle had spent on her in her entire lifetime. And it wasn't for her...it was for him. Benvolio had just opened the door and was looking back at her. "Are you planning on sleeping outside, Capulet?" He asked. She shook herself, glaring at him before pushing past him into the room. All she had to do was suffer through 5 days of this and she could- 

The sight that greeted her inside of the room made her freeze. "Oh." She looked at the bed in front of her. The single bed. The only bed in the suite. 

"What is it now, Capu-" Benvolio stopped next to her, having caught sight of the bed. "Oh." He said. 

They stood there, frozen; looking at the bed in front of them. 

"Maybe-" Rosaline began. 

"There's gotta be other-" Benvolio started at the same time. They broke off, looking at each other. Both of them were uncomfortable. Rosaline bit her lip. How could their uncles have done this to them? 

"If we switch rooms." She said softly. "They'll know." 

Benvolio exhaled. "I know." His voice was soft. He shook his head, looking away from her. Striding across the suite, he looked out of the balcony. "God fucking damn it." He grumbled. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head. "Well I'm open to ideas." He said. 

Rosaline smiled. "Well, the way I see it..." She looked around the room. "You have two options." Benvolio looked up at her in shock. She made sure he was looking her in the eyes before saying. "Couch or floor." 

He shook his head. "Well, it's nice to see that rumors of Capulet selfishness are completely unfounded." He snarked. Rosaline tossed him a pillow and one of the blankets. 

"I'm jet lagged." She said. "So I'm showering and going to sleep. You do whatever you want." She turned, grabbing her suitcase, she marched to the shower. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benvolio snored. It wasn't loud or even entirely unpleasant. In fact if it was anyone else she'd have thought it was...cute. She glared at him. How could he sleep so peacefully? Especially considering what they'd have to do tomorrow. Sell to the world that they were happily in love. She retched. Benvolio snuffled on, blissfully unaware. She had enough. Tossing a pillow at him, she listened in satisfaction as he grunted in surprise. 

"Some of us would appreciate being able to not listen to a foghorn." She said when he looked bleary up at her. "Either quiet down or go guide ships into a harbor." She lay back down. 

Benvolio sat up. "Has anyone ever told you you're angry when you're beautiful?" He snapped.

Rosaline gaped at him. He did not just say that. In fact it was quite obvious that he himself didn't believe the words that had come out of his mouth. "I'm going to assume sleep deprivation is causing some type of hallucination." She rubbed her eyes. "Because that was a compliment, Montague." 

"I'm not blind, Capulet." Benvolio said. "But the fact remains that you are angry practically all of the time." 

"So now you've complimented me and confessed to stalking me." Rosaline laid back, looking at the ceiling. "This vacation is going to be fun." 

"I..." He said. 

"Just stop snoring." She said. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He stopped her from going out the next morning. She glared at him, hefting her bag higher on her shoulder. "If you know what's good for you, Montague, you'll rethink coming between me and my breakfast." 

Benvolio rolled his eyes. "You do realize that if you go to the resort's dining room, I'll have to go and we'll play the happy couple for whatever spies and reporters our uncles have definitely sent here." He said. "I ordered room service while you were doing your hair."

She hated that he was right. "Waffles." She said. He arched an eyebrow. "You'd better have ordered waffles." She spun around, walking towards the table. Benvolio followed. 

"You're welcome." He said.

She gave him a rueful look. "You've only held off the inevitable. We have to make an appearance at some point. If we hide in here they'll..." She trialed off, unsure how to finish that sentence. Benvolio seemed to understand. 

"It's remarkable that they hate each other so much." He said. "They're practically the same person." 

Rosaline smiled. "It's their egos. They can't stand being unoriginal." Benvolio nodded his agreement. "Huh." She said, tilting her head. "I never thought I'd see the day where you'd agree with me." 

"Don't get used to it." Benvolio muttered, his ears turning red. Rosaline smirked. 

"Oh I think I can, afterall; you're blinded by my beauty." She sat on the couch. "As revolting as it is, I probably have you wrapped around my little finger." 

Benvolio sat across from her. "But it's our uncles who have the ego." He retorted. 

Rosaline drummed her fingers on the arm of the couch. This bizarre detente was almost pleasant, but the fat remained that outside of this room, they had roles to play. "We need a plan." She said. The contented look on Benvolio's face slid off. 

"I guess we do." He said. "How about at least one meal together on the outside." 

"We alternate it." Rosaline added. "And we need to do at least 3 resort activities together." 

"Like surfing lessons?" Benvolio sounded skeptical. Rosaline shook her head. 

"Not necessarily." She said. "But real couples do couple stuff. Maybe a tour of the local town or swim with the sea turtles or a boatride." She tilted her head. "I know this must sound strange to you, seeing as you're incapable of being in a relationship for more than one night-" 

"Oh, but you're the relationship expert." Benvolio snapped. "How is Escalus these days?" 

Rosaline glared at him and for a moment, it almost seemed like he was sorry, he opened his mouth to say something, but Rosaline looked away. Her chest hurt at the thought of her ex. 

"Sea Turtles." She said. "Then going into town. And one of the stupid themed nights they hold at this resort." There was a knock at the door. She got up and strode over, wrenching it open to let in the waiter with the tray of room service. Grabbing a waffle as she passed, she looked over her shoulder at Benvolio. He was looking at her and she was shocked to see regret on his face. 

"See you at lunch." She gripped her purse and left. She'd find a nice lounge chair to sit in, read, and stay far away from Benvolio Montague for a few hours. 

 

 

 

 

 

She only ended up getting 45 minutes. Her sunlight was blocked by a large shape standing above her. 

"Leave me in peace." She said, not even bothering to look up. If it was Benvolio she wanted him gone and if it wasn't Benvolio and just some random suntanned dudebro who was planning on hitting on her, then she wanted him gone too. 

"I'm sorry." So it was Benvolio. She turned the page, not acknowledging him. "I should have known better than to bring him up." He sat in the chair next to her. She tried to focus on the page in front of her, but she couldn't remember what she'd already read. 

"No you're not." She said. 

Benvolio sighed. "Amazingly Capulet, my entire existence isn't predicated on making you miserable." 

She lowered her book, looking at him suspiciously. He did seem to be telling the truth, but she couldn't be sure. He shook his head. 

"Though your entire existence seems to be being unreasonably stubborn." He settled into the chair next to her. 

"What are you doing?" Rosaline looked at him in irritation. 

"We have to pretend to be madly in love." He said. "Or else." 

"Sounds like a threat, Montague." She snapped, glaring at him. For a second he'd seemed almost tolerable. 

"I'm trying to save both of us from a lot of irritation, Capulet." His voice had an undercurrent of fear to it. Rosaline lowered her book. Her uncle had threatened to cut her and Livia off of what meager support he'd given them over the years. She'd never considered what Benvolio's motive for being here was. What had his uncle done to get him to go along with this stupid plan? 

"I booked us a spot on a tour of the reef." He said. "It's after lunch." He stood. "Grab your bathing suit, Capulet; we're going snorkeling."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benvolio was already waiting for her by the resort dock. He was staring out at the water, wearing a life vest and swim trunks. He was holding a second life vest in his hands. He didn't seem to notice her approach. She cleared her throat. He turned, blinking at her bathing suit. She put her hands on her hips. 

"See something you like?" She asked. Benvolio's head snapped up, meeting her eyes. 

"I've just never seen you outside of cardigans and sensible shoes." 

Rosaline rolled her eyes and held out her hand for the life vest. Benvolio sheepishly handed it over.

"We're going to be alone with the scuba instructor." He pointed over to the boat. "They'll take us out to the reef and show us the local fish and stuff." He arched an eyebrow. "We might even see a shark." 

"Ha ha." Rosaline pulled the live vest on and zipping it up before putting on a swim cap. Benvolio watched her in amusement. "What?" She asked. 

"We're snorkeling. Not competing in an Olympic swimming competition." 

"And maybe your hair can survive a dip in the ocean, but unless you want to help detangle mine, I suggest you shut up." She'd put her hair in a braid before putting it under the swim cap. 

Their snorkeling instructor walked up to them, interrupting Benvolio's response. "Ready to go out on the reef?" 

Rosaline nodded, smiling at him...as a camera clicked from the beach. Benvolio whirled around, catching sight of a not so subtle photographer holding a giant camera. He made a move to go and yell or take the camera when Rosaline grabbed him around the waist. He looked at her in shock as she tucked her face against his neck. 

"If you go over there, they might get clued in to the fact that something's wrong." She whispered. Benvolio hesitated before leaning into her. 

"The two of you are so cute." The snorkeling instructor said, shaking his head. 

"Yup." Benvolio said, squeezing his arm around her waist. "I am a lucky guy." 

"Yes you are." Rosaline nudged his hip. "Now. Are there sea turtles out on the reef?" 

 

 

 

 

 

The reef was an explosion of color and life. Rosaline couldn't find it in her to be annoyed with Benvolio when all around her were fish and corals. It was also quiet beneath the waves. She could almost forget her problems and her uncle's ridiculous demands of her. Almost. Benvolio touched her arm, causing her to thrash and turn to him, annoyed. He pointed to a part of the reef next to her. She looked where he indicated and jumped. A shark was swimming about 10 feet from her. She surfaced, pulling the snorkel out of her mouth.

"It's a nurse shark." Benvolio said. "It'll ignore you if you don't bother it." Rosaline arched an eyebrow. "What?" He asked. "You're not the only one who can open a book, Capulet." Rosaline waited. He sighed. "Fine, Romeo and I watch Shark Week every year." She grinned, the image of the two of them on the couch kind of adorable. Then she frowned as she remembered exactly who was. Benvolio was watching her. He shook his head. "What? Remembered how you're supposed to hate me?" 

She splashed his face before turning and swimming back to the boat. Climbing back in, she sat there, waiting for the instructor and Benvolio to come back. She forced a smile when they came back and gave them the excuse of dizziness. Benvolio watched her in silence. She handed back her life vest, smiled and thanking the instructor before making her way back to the hotel room. 

She wasn't too surprised that Benvolio followed her. She turned and glared at him. "Don't you have something better to do?" She snapped. "The blonde in charge of the kayaks seemed to be interested." 

"Capulet, what the hell have I ever done to you?" He said. "You're smart, I can't believe you'd allow the bruised egos of two old men to dictate your thoughts towards someone else." 

She shook her head. "You really don't know, do you?" She exhaled. "Or you're really that heartless." Opening the door to their suite, she walked in. Benvolio followed. 

"Well tell me, and then we can determine how much of a monster I am." He said. Rosaline glared at him. She didn't owe him any explanations. She didn't owe anyone with the name Montague anything. 

"Your family killed my parents." She choked out. Benvolio's eyes widened. Whatever he'd expected, it wasn't that. 

"That..." He hesitated. "I thought that was a car accident." 

"Yes." Rosaline replied. "And who do you think was driving it?" She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but refused to look away. He was going to see her pain. All of it. "It was a hit and run with a Montague Corp car but when the police investigated your uncle oh so conveniently had a police report of it being stolen. Except that, until the accident that report never existed." Benvolio looked away. "My father died en route to the hospital and my mom....she didn't have the strength to hold on much longer afterwards." She closed her eyes. "Livia and I were supposed to be in that car. It was only because of Juliet insisting on us sleeping over at her house that we weren't." 

"I'm sorry." Benvolio murmured. 

"No you're not." She said. "You're only saying that because it's what you're supposed to say." 

"How am I-" He broke off, running a frustrated hand through his hair. Backing away, he hesitated, his hand on the door. "I know the words of a Montague don't mean much to you." He paused. "But I am sorry." 

The door slammed, leaving her alone with her pain and frustration. 

 

 

 

 

She hid from him the next day, feigning sleep when he woke up and not moving until he'd left the suite. She ignored texts from her uncle asking her to call him. Her plan was to ignore Benvolio Montague for as long as humanly possible. 

In the end, she only made it about an hour after breakfast before hearing his voice arguing with someone. She was about to go when she heard him say. "Don't lie to me, uncle I know you know." She froze, flattening herself against the wall, listening. "Well, she hates me and for good reason. Someone killed her parents and you covered it up." He paused, clearly listening to the person on the other line. "Well, you can't expect me to continue to pretend....no...I don't care about the company right now. She doesn't deserve-" He broke off. Rosaline looked around the corner. Benvolio had his back to her and was agitated. "At least..." He began, before the person on the other line cut him off. "At least." He tried again. "At least let me have a different room." He raised his voice. "She doesn't deserve this. She may be..." He shook his head. "Actually I don't know what she is because there's no way in hell she'd be kind to someone who may as well have been complicit in her parents' deaths, not that she should be. I know you hate me, but don't do this to her." 

He waited, listening to his uncle before saying a short goodbye and hanging up his phone. He slumped his shoulders, looking around. He caught sight of Rosaline. They stared at each other. She was unsure what to say. Benvolio gave her a short nod before walking away. She put out her arm, stopping him. HE met her eyes, nervous. 

"Thank you." She said. 

"Don't thank me." He said. "I didn't find anything and we're still stuck in the same room." 

Rosaline swallowed. "But you tried." She said. "And you didn't have to." She hesitated. "Are you hungry?" 

He searched her expression, seemingly trying to figure out her angle, then nodded slowly. 

"How about lunch?" 

He glanced around them, surprised. "If you're sure that's what you want." He said slowly. She nodded. "Then yes." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch was awkward. Though they'd agreed to some type of unspoken truce, they still didn't know how to be around each other. Rosaline bit her lip and was about to try and make small talk when she caught sight of someone entering the dining area. "Oh no." She whispered. Benvolio looked at where she was staring and arched an eyebrow. 

"Is that Escalus Prince?" He asked. Rosaline covered her face. He was the last person she wanted to see. Benvolio looked over at her. "Do you want to leave?" 

She frowned. As unpleasant as her breakup had been she wasn't going to run from him. "I-" 

"Rosaline." Escalus walked over to her table. "I thought that was you." 

She gulped, forcing a pleasant smile on her face. Benvolio arched an eyebrow. "Play along." She forced out through gritted teeth as she grabbed his hand. Both of Benvolio's eyebrows hit his hair line as Escalus arrived next to him. "Mr. Prince." She said. "How's politics?" 

"I'm taking a vacation." He said. 

"Strange." Rosaline's throat closed as she fought to keep herself calm. "I thought nothing got in between you and your duties as future governor." Not even personal feelings. She added to herself. Not even love. 

Escalus looked at her and Benvolio's joined hands. "I didn't realize the two of you were together." 

"We're keeping it quiet." Rosaline said.

"So quiet, it was on the cover of yesterday's New York Daily News." Escalus replied. Rosaline felt her stomach clench. So that's why he was here. Benvolio's fingers gently squeezed hers as he reached for a glass of water. 

"We didn't know about that." She said. "But I'm done hiding how much I care about him." 

Benvolio choked on his water. Escalus looked at him with doubt. Clearing his throat, Benvolio smiled up at him. "Yep." He said. "She's my everything." 

"Well." Escalus said skeptically, stepping back. "Enjoy your vacation." 

Rosaline waited until he'd left the room to let go of Benvolio's hand. She was seething. 

"Not to pry, but..." Benvolio hesitated. "Did he come here just because he thought you were dating me?" 

"Probably." Rosaline growled. "As if he gets to decide anything about my personal life after..." She shut her eyes, getting up. "I need some fresh air." She walked out of the dining room. The weather was turning slightly; the sky gray for the first time since she'd arrived on the island. She was alone on the beach. Looking up at the sky, she sighed, digging her toes in the sand. 

"You can't possibly care about him." 

She shut her eyes, wishing she didn't recognize the voice. "What do you want, Escalus?" 

"Just tell me you aren't rebounding with a Montague." 

Rosaline looked over her shoulder. "How is it any of your business who I rebound with." She turned around and glared. "Also how dare you think that I base my relationships on you." 

"Does he know about your parents?" He asked. Rosaline shut her eyes.

"Escalus." She began. He came closer, putting his hand on her arm. 

"I don't want to see you hurt." He murmured. "I know the type of man Benvolio Montague is-" 

"Do you?" She looked up at him. "Because I was sure I knew, just like I was sure I knew you." She stepped back. "Guess I was wrong about you, who's to say I was right about him?" 

Escalus sighed, his eyes flicking upwards. "Ros-" His voice sounded long suffering. 

"No." She yanked her arm out of his grasp. "You dumped me the second it was made clear that I wasn't politically profitable. That I wouldn't make a good governor's wife. You let your father decide who you loved." She glared at him. "Say what you want about Benvolio Montague, but he's..." She trailed off, not sure where her argument was going. Shaking her head she looked back at the ocean. "I don't know what you expected when you decided to come here, but I'm not going to try myself at your feet and accept whatever half-assed apology you planned."  She moved away. "Goodbye, Escalus." 

He waited, hoping she'd change her mind. She stared straight at the horizon, ignoring him. He sighed and walked away. She watched as the normally blue water turned a dark green, the clouds above almost purple. The wind picked up, thunder rumbled. She watched in fascination as the waves began to swell higher. Rain began falling, lightning flashed. A hand fell on her shoulder. She jumped, whirling around. Benvolio was standing there, soaked. It was then she realized she was soaked as well. And freezing. 

"Capulet, what the hell?" Benvolio growled, throwing his jacket around her and bundled her towards their room. "I can't believe after the fit you threw about your hair and sea water that you'd stand out here in the middle of a goddamn thunderstorm." He swiped his key card, letting her in. Only once she was inside did she realize how cold she was. 

Shivering, she tugged at her soaked clothes. "Sorry I-" 

He shook his head, pulling his wet shirt over his head. "I'm getting towels and blankets." He mumbled, leaving the room. Rosaline was about to protest...when she caught sight of his back. There were scars across his shoulders, burn marks....long healed cuts. She covered her mouth, realizing she'd never seen Benvolio shirtless before. He'd taken great pains to make sure she hadn't; having changed into a life vest before she arrived on the dock, not going into the pool. She lowered her eyes, finally understanding how his uncle had made him agree to this ridiculous PR stunt. 

She felt cold, weary and not just because of the rain. Benvolio came back in carrying towels and blankets. She accepted them, not meeting his eyes. 

"What?" He said. "No come back." 

She swallowed before looking up at him. "I'm sorry." 

"Well it would be difficult to convince our uncles and the world that we're madly in love if you're dying of pneumonia." He grumbled, before looking up at her face. His expression faltered. Rosaline lowered her eyes. 

"I'm sorry for not considering that...I may not have been the only one hurt by your uncle." She waited as he drew in a surprised breath. Looking up, she saw shame and pain in his eyes. He ducked his gaze. 

"Well you didn't know." He croaked. They sat there, staring at each other. Rosaline bit her lip, uncomfortable with how close they were. 

"So, I'll just-" She got up. "I'm going to take a shower." 

He nodded, not moving as she stood. She walked towards the bathroom. Stopping, she looked over at him. 

"Thank you." She said. "For getting me out of the rain." 

He looked up at her before smirking. "Anything for my beloved." 


	14. Chapter 14

Rosaline walked into the house, looking around for her parents. She'd just been at the palace with Isabella and she wanted to tell her mother about the letter Escalus had sent her from Milan. The servants wouldn't look at her. She frowned. Something was wrong; the house seemed cold...empty. In fact it looked like it hadn't been lived in for a while. The paint on the walls lost its luster and cracked. Cobwebs stretched across doorways. She pushed them out of the way. She needed to find them. She needed to find her mother. She needed to find her father. She needed to not be alone.

The door to the living room opened and she fell to her knees. Her father was lying there, bleeding. She covered her mouth, trying not scream. She crawled to him, trying to wake him. He didn't move.

She looked around, desperately trying to find someone, anyone to help her...when she saw her. Her mother was sitting in a chair. Her figure wasted away; gaunt. Her eyes clouded and empty. Rosaline reached for her mother's hand when her eyes fell on another room. One that she'd thought was empty. There was a figure in there. She stood, knowing she shouldn't look, but feeling unable to stop herself.

Benvolio was lying there, unmoving. She was alone. She had no one. Rosaline shook and screamed. And screamed and screamed.

 

 

Benvolio was used to his sleep being interrupted. He'd suffered from nightmares his entire life and though they'd lessened after his marriage, they weren't unusual. this time was different. This time he woke up because Rosaline was thrashing next to him. It took him a second to realize what was happening before he tried to wake her. Then she began screaming.

Benvolio closed her eyes. "Rosaline." He said, pulling her to his chest. "Rosaline please." He kissed her forehead, running a hand over her hair. "Come back to me."

She shuddered and gasped, gulping air as she gripped his arm. Her eyes were wild as she looked around the room. When her gaze fell on him she collapsed, sobbing into his chest. He rocked her, holding her tight.

"It's over." He whispered. "You're safe."

'I thought." She said.

"Shhh." He kissed her forehead. Pressing his cheek against the top of her head.

"I thought you were dead." She sobbed. "I thought I was alone."

Benvolio's heart stopped. In his worst nightmares he'd never been able to fathom causing her this much pain. A tear rolled down his cheek. Rosaline's shaking slowed and her sobs turned to sniffles. 

"I'm sorry." She whispered. 

"You have nothing to apologize for." Benvolio whispered. "Nothing." He gave her a weak smile. "After all the times I have woken you from your sleep because of my nightmares." 

"I..." She wiped her eyes. "I do not wish to be a burden." 

Benvolio shook his head. His entire life he'd been treated like a burden by his uncle, his aunt, anyone with any affiliation with his house. He knew his wife had gone through a similar experience with her family; it was why she was apologizing to him. "Comforting my beloved is never a burden." Rosaline had made him understand what it felt like to be loved without any strings or demands. "Capulet." He whispered. "I promise, I am not foolish enough to leave you alone." 

Rosaline let out a cough that was almost a laugh. He pressed on. 

"If anyone ever tried to take me from you they would have to contend with your wrath. No one in Verona is that foolhardy." 

She burrowed her face into his chest. Benvolio rubbed his hands over her back, watching over her as she fell asleep, honored that she'd let him in. That she trusted him to protect her heart. That she cared enough to cry about missing him. That she loved him.

"I love you." He whispered. "I will watch over you." 


	15. Chapter 15

Benvolio found solace in Rosaline. He found it in her hands, that gripped him, pulled him close. That took hold of his as she denounced his uncle as a murderer in front of the entire Veronan court. He found it in her sharp wit. The way she out matched him in intelligence. In her compassion and dedication to the truth. Her care for her sister. He was honored to be included in the number of few people that she trusted with her heart. He would die to prove that trust well placed, even if he was sure he had done nothing to deserve it. He was loved, he was sure, by an angel. She had no reason to be kind. His family had taken so much from her, but she found it in her still to open her heart to him. 

Benvolio loved her with his entire soul. He loved her full toothed smiles, and made sure that they were more frequent. 

He loved drawing her. He loved waking next to her and seeing her in the early morning sunlight. He loved the way her brow knit itself together when she was irritated with him. The slight part of her lips before she joked with him. The controlled chaos of her hair. The deep sparkle of her eyes. 

He worried that he wasn't enough. He knew she'd chosen him, that she'd risked everything and yet he knew he wasn't worthy. She had to realize what a foolish mistake it was to trust him. What a horrible misstep she'd made in loving him. 

But she never did. Every day he woke and she was there. Everyday she played with the ring on her finger, watching how it caught the light. Everyday she faced all of Verona, her hand on his arm, defying anyone who might speak out against him. 

So he worked each day to be worthy of her love. He bought her books. He brought her ideas to the meetings of the noblemen. He sought her council on matters pertaining to the family business, even making her his chief adviser.

Then one day his aunt showed up. He and Rosaline had been pouring over trade receipts, discussing whether continued trade with Milan was in their best interest. When the door opened.  

"My darling Benvolio." Tessa said, sweeping into the house."I see you are now lord of our house."

"Despite your best efforts to the contrary." Rosaline said. Tessa turned her eyes on her, giving her a warning smile. Benvolio put his hand on his sword. 

"You must be the Capulet Benvolio was ready to lose his life over." She took a step forward, her hand reaching for Rosaline's face. Rosaline leaned back. Benvolio jumped up, putting himself between them. 

"Don't touch her." 

Tessa chuckled. "Oh, nephew." She tilted her head. "You always did see yourself as a romantic hero, fighting for honor and a damsel..." She looked disdainfully at Rosaline. "I suppose only a Capulet would have you." 

"What do you want?" Rosaline asked. 

"I have come for what is owed me." Tessa said simply. "Your uncle stole a great number of my business ideas over the years, by rights about half the Montague funds are mine." 

"By rights." Rosaline glared at her. "Your head should be headed to the axeman's block." 

Tessa laughed. "Oh, I see. You are a silly little girl playing at power." She looked at Benvolio. "No wonder you married a silly little boy." 

Rosaline moved around Benvolio, putting her hand on his arm when she passed. "My sister is handmaiden to Princess Isabella." She stepped closer to Tessa. "I have the ear of Prince Escalus, as he is an old childhood friend." She smiled. "You, as I understand it, are no longer welcome at the palace." She smirked. "Your brother sang like a canary before he was executed. He told everyone just how much of the murder was his doing and what was yours." Rosaline smirked. "He also told us of your particular financial situation....how many hundreds of ducats are you in debt?" 

Tessa lifted her hand to strike her. Rosaline grabbed it, stopping her. 

"Who is the silly little girl now?" She asked. 

"You-" Tessa growled. 

"You will address me as Lady Montague." Rosaline said. In that moment, Benvolio had no idea who was more in danger. Tessa, he realized. Tessa who had always seemed so scary and unflappable during his childhood was looking at his wife, his glorious wife, with fear. She was small now. Rosaline had that ability, to make monsters human. To rob them of their teeth and claws. 

"You are a fool." Tessa whispered, looking over at Benvolio. "And you are weak. Just like your father." 

"Thank you." Benvolio said. "For I would rather be a good weak man like my father than evil and strong like you." 

Rosaline took his arm, bracing him. "You have 30 seconds to remove yourself from our house." She said. "Any longer and you will find yourself set upon by the palace guards." 

Tessa tripped over her skirts as she rushed to the door. Benvolio leaned against her, leaning his head on her shoulder before pulling away. "How can you love suh as me?" He asked. Rosaline put her hand under his chin, turning her to face him. 

"You are good." She said. "You are honest." She kissed his cheek. "You respect me. You are kind." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "And you are worthy of love my husband." 

Benvolio swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Rosaline's eyes turned from misty to amused. 

"Besides. How could I let go of a man who writes such exquisite love poetry." 

Benvolio groaned and pulled away from her. She followed him, smiling. 

"Shall I compare thee-" 

He turned, gathering her in his arms and kissing her silent. She smiled against his lips, her fingers tangling in his hair. He pulled back, breathing heavily. "Anyone who believes they can capture how I love you with mere words is a fool." He declared. 

Rosaline kissed him again. 


	16. Chapter 16

Benvolio knocked over a goblet as he tugged the table cloth lower and straightened up. Smiling his most innocent smile, he ran a hand over his hair. Rosaline narrowed her eyes; something was up. 

"Beloved wife." 

Her suspicions confirmed, she sighed. "What have you done?" 

Benvolio cleared his throat. "Why." He glanced around. "Why would you assume that I've done something?" 

Rosaline crossed her arms. "Call it wifely intuition."

Benvolio nodded, biting his lip. "Have I complimented you today?" 

Rosaline shook her head, "That depends, is it a blatant attempt to soften a blow when you finally reveal what you've done?" 

A small snuffling noise came from under the table. Both of them turned to look as a small black nose pointed out from under the red fabric of the table cloth. Rosaline looked up at Benvolio. "Look." He said. "Before you say anything-" 

Rosaline pushed him aside, grabbing the fabric and pulled it up, revealing a cowing shivering puppy. 

"I found him hiding from some boys in the square. They were throwing rocks at him." Benvolio said. "Let me just...feed him, bathe him, make sure he's strong." He broke off. Rosaline knelt on the ground. The puppy looked at her warily. Rosaline looked up at her husband. 

"Give me a treat." 

"What?" Benvolio asked. Rosaline sighed. 

"I know you have a crust of bread or a piece of dried meat on you somewhere, give it." She held out her hand. Benvolio handed a meat pie. She broke it into pieces, putting them in a line in front of her. The dog hesitated, his stomach growling made the decision for him. Inching forward, his pink tongue stuck out and lapped at the first piece of meat pie. He came closer, coming to the next piece. As he came further out from under the table, Rosaline could see gashes on his back. It trembled as it came closer. 

"I chased them away." Benvolio explained. "But I couldn't just...he's so small and helpless and they were hurting him because they could." 

He hated bullies as much as she hated injustice. Of course he'd been driven to step in and intercede; considering what had been done to him, it would have been unthinkable for him to walk away. 

Rosaline handed the dog the rest of the pie. He nosed her fingers, licking them cautiously as if looking for traces of food before backing away. Standing up, she turned to Benvolio. "We're going to need to clean him and bandage him. I'm going to go get Livia and have a servant run a tub of water. Then we're going to send a large order to the butcher." She paused. "We're going to need a name." She kissed Benvolio on the cheek. "He's not allowed in our bedroom." She called over her shoulder. As she walked away, she heard Benvolio say: 

"Don't worry, friend. She has a way of warming up to strays with wide eyes and tragic backstories." 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on the Perfect duet by Ed Sheeran and Beyonce. I own nothing. This song is excellent because Beyonce.  
> It is also officially Rosvolio's song. I've decided.

_I found a love_  
_For me_  
_Oh darling, just dive right in_  
_And follow my lead_  
_Well, I found a girl_  
_Beautiful and sweet_  
_Oh, I never knew you were the someone_  
_Waitin' for me_

To say that Benvolio expected Rosaline Capulet would be a lie. He lost himself to her the moment he met her. Not that he'd admit it to himself, but from the moment he saw her at Romeo and Juliet's wedding, he had to get to know her. It was attraction, he told himself. Nothing more. 

That denial became easier, after the next few times he interacted with her. She was haughty and annoying. So what if the smiles he saw her exchange with her sister were so bright they bathed everyone around them with her glow. She was a Capulet. And she loved Escalus. She'd never care for him. Not that he wanted her to. 

Yet, the more she spent time with him, the more he saw: Rosaline Capulet was so much more than he'd ever imagined she could be. She was kind, good, and intelligent. She was honest to a fault. He was falling and he didn't care. He didn't care that he knew her heart belonged to someone else. He didn't care that by all rights she had no reason to look on him with anything besides contempt and anger. He wanted her safe. He wanted...

It didn't matter what he wanted. 

Dragging Escalus to the safety of a nearby tavern as the city exploded in fighthing around them, Benvolio could barely contain the beating of his heart. Rosaline knew the owner, his wife had sold meat pies at the market she frequented when she was a servant in her uncle's house hold, and was able to send for a physician. She stood by Escalus' side, ordering people around, her blue dress stained with blood. She showed no fear. 

"Benvolio." She said, looking at him. "Get a sword." She flinched as a loud bang came from the outside. The cellar they were hiding in had only a small grate covered window and a trapdoor. The physician was kneeling beside Escalus, tending to his wound. "We'll need..." She paused, her eyes flickering to the trapdoor overhead. "In case someone comes in..." 

They might die today. In fact, if Paris won, it was definite. It wouldn't matter that Livia was Rosaline's sister. Benvolio had been reserved to die that morning, but it seemed as though Rosaline had come to the same decision. She wasn't afraid of dying, in fact, she was willing to face it. Well that wouldn't sit right with him. 

"If I can't fight them off." He said. 

"Don't say such things." She snapped. He put his hand on her arm, looking at her intently. 

"Rosaline." He whispered, loving the way it felt to say her name. "If I can't fight them off, I want you to promise me something." 

She shook her head. "No." 

He laughed despite himself. "You don't even know what I am going to ask of you, Capulet." 

"I do know that I won't like it." She said, sticking out her chin, stubbornly. 

Benvolio grimaced; it was true, but that wouldn't stop him from asking. "Rosaline. I want you to promise me, that if...if Paris's men come through that door and kill me and Escalus. You won't do anything to implicate yourself. Do nothing to have them kill you along with us." He squeezed the hand he had on her arm. 

"Paris will have me killed no matter what." Rosaline glared at him. 

"I know, but if there is...even the slightest chance that you might live." He swallowed thickly, his throat suddenly too dry for him to speak. "I want you to take it. I want you to live." 

She stared at him, stunned. "You unbelievably selfish man." 

"Oh." Benvolio frowned. "You're denying a marked man his last glimmer of happiness and I'm the selfish one?" 

"Yes." She pulled her arm out of his grasp, glaring at him. "Because I do not want to live without you." 

In the corner Escalus groaned. Benvolio felt a strange ringing in his ears. Could it mean? Rosaline rolled her eyes and nodded. 

"Come now, Montague." She smirked. "Surely you aren't so dense." 

Before he could reply, a loud thumping noise sounded above them. Benvolio pushed her behind him, sword raised. The trap door opened and Matteo, one of the Montague servants came in. 

"Lord Benvolio." He said, holding his hands up. "Lord Damiano sent me." 

Benvolio gripped the sword handle tighter. What could his uncle possibly want now? 

"He's amassing forces to combat Paris and he wants you to lead them." Matteo continued, glancing behind Benvolio at Escalus and Rosaline. "He has offered sanctuary for the lady Rosaline." 

Benvolio shook his head. "I am not allowing the lady anywhere near that man." 

"Montague." Rosaline whispered. 

"No." He said, looking back at her. "I will not allow him to take another person I love away from me. He may have deprived me of my father, but not you." He paused, the wide eyed look Rosaline was giving him enough to make him reevaluate his words. Shaking his head, he pressed his lips into a line, looking at Matteo. "How did you find us?" 

"Beg pardon, my lord, but I was told you were here by an onlooker who..." 

"Okay." Benvolio cut him off, looking back at Rosaline. "I want you to go to the monastery. Ask for sanctuary. If I can, I will come for you. I will lead my uncle's forces." 

She glanced at Matteo before nodding. Then she did something that shocked everyone. Cupping his cheek, she brought his lips to hers, kissing him tenderly. He felt as though he was floating. Pulling back, she smiled. "Don't die, Montague, I want to see what it's like to kiss you without our lives hanging in the balance." 

He nodded. "Matteo, take her...make sure she's safe." 

"Escalus is coming with us." She said, looking back at him. "If we were found so easily, he's no longer safe." She squeezed Benvolio's hand. Then she was gone. He looked down at his hand, feeling the ghost of her touch before gripping his sword. He needed to focus. He'd help rid Verona of Paris and find Livia. He'd do it for Rosaline and the hopeful promise she'd sealed with a kiss. She'd told him to come back to her. Let the Mantuan soldiers try and defeat him. None of them had Rosaline waiting for them. 

 

 _Well, I found a man_  
_Stronger than anyone I know_  
_He shares my dreams_  
_I hope that someday we'll share a home_

Rosaline paced the room in the abbey tower. The monks, while they agreed to give her sanctuary, did not want her to mingle with the rest of the men, probably concerned that it would be too sinful. Rosaline did not see the logic in worrying about propriety when there was a war outside their walls, but she wasn't about to complain too much. Her tower room gave her a pretty good view of the battle outside Verona's wars. Smoke was rising as the two armies clashed. Rosaline squinted, but she knew it was futile; she was too far to see any one person. There was no way she could recognize Benvolio. 

It was crazy to think she could have helped him in battle, but part of her wished she could have done more. As the echoes of screams and clashing of swords came from the distant battlefield, she briefly wondered if Benvolio would make it. Sure, he was one of the best fighters in Verona, but he'd been in a cell. She tore her gaze away from the window. Sliding down the wall, she sat on the ground, looking up at the ceiling. He loved her. Against all odds and their own protestations, the two of them had forged something deeper and more powerful than either of them could acknowledge. 

But he had. He'd said it, granted it was because he was distressed...she couldn't blame him, if her uncle had had a hand in her father's death she would be angered as well, but he'd admitted he loved her. She knew she felt the same way. It was more than the attraction she'd felt for Escalus. Benvolio was her friend, her ally, and the person she trusted over all others. Standing, she began pacing the room, frustrated that she'd only discovered her feelings too late to enjoy them. Benvolio was in battle, possibly dying and most of their time together had been marked by anger and arguments. She smoothed her hands over her dress, trying to ignore the bloodstains and dirt. It was foolish to think of a possible future with Benovlio, he might not make it out of the battle and then...who would she have left? Paris had her sister. Her aunt and uncle were never family to her, even while Juliet still lived and even if Escalus survived, Paris would have him killed. 

Her eyes were drawn to the window again. Was it her imagination or did it look as though Paris' forces were being pushed back? She leaned out of the window, her fingers gripping the window frame. Closing her eyes, she prayed. She prayed for her sister's safe return. She prayed for the victory of her city. Lastly she prayed for Benvolio. She prayed he'd return. She prayed his feelings were true and that they would get the chance to learn where they will go. 

It was a few more hours before a group of people on horseback approached the abbey. Rosaline was back, leaning out the window. There was a knock at the door of her room. A monk entered. "Lady Rosaline. Benvolio Montague is riding to-" 

She pushed past him, gathering her skirts to run down the stairs. She reached the entrance of the Abbey just as Benvolio walked in. She froze on the bottom stair, looking at him. He was covered in dirt and blood. He seemed to drink her in, his expression of a man too long deprived of water. "Capulet." He said. "There's someone here who'd like to say hello." He stepped aside. Livia hesitantly walked into the Abbey. 

"Livia." Rosaline gasped, running to pull her sister into her arms, tears blurring her vision. Livia sobbed, clutching her, her fingers bunched into the back of Rosaline's gown. "Are you alright?"

Livia shook her head as she pulled back. "But I'm safe." She looked over at Benvolio. "Thanks to the Montague." She pressed her lips together, throwing Benvolio an apologetic look. "I mean-" 

"I know." He gave her a smile. "I'm here to escort you and your sister back to Verona." His gaze shifted to Rosaline. She bit back a smile as he flushed, suddenly looking hesitant. "Capulet?" 

Rosaline kept one arm around her sister, reaching her other hand out for his. There was a hushed muttering of disapproval from the assembled monks, but she did not care. Paris was gone, she had her sister back, and Benvolio was here. 

"I don't want to go back to the Capulet house." Livia's voice was hushed.  Rosaline looked over at Benvolio. 

"As I do not want to return to the Montague house." He agreed. "Not as long as my uncle lives there." 

"We could simply live in our parents' old home." Rosaline suggested, drawing sharp looks of surprise from her two companions. "What?" 

"Nothing." Benvolio said slowly. "It's just..." 

"It's quite a scandalous suggestion." Livia finished, giving her a small smile. "Especially from you, sister." 

Benvolio grinned, nodding his agreement at her sister's teasing. 

Rosaline felt her skin grow hot, but she also felt a sense of calm come over her as she replied, "Not if you married me, Montague." 

 

 

 

 

 _We are still kids, but we're so in love_  
_Fightin' against all odds_  
_I know we'll be alright this time_  
_Darling, just hold my hand_  
_Be your girl, you'll be my man_  
_And I see my future in your eyes_


	18. Chapter 18

Benvolio had lost track of how long he'd been in the cell. Paris had ordered all windows blocked so that he had no conception of time. He was left lean against the wall, imagining what was happening in the palace. The one thing that gave him solace, as he sat in the rat infested darkness, was the knowledge that Rosaline had to be alright. If she had been harmed, Paris would surely have come down to the dungeons to gloat. She was strong, his Rosaline, she was alright. He had to believe she was alright. That and the memory of their kiss were all he had to accompany him in his prison.

He was lying on the ground when Paris swept into the dungeons. Turning his nose up at the filth of the cell, the new Prince of Verona tutted at Benvolio. "Aren't you a state?"

He wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of jumping to his feet. "Where's Rosaline?" Benvolio he asked, staring at the the ceiling. 

"We'll have to have you bathed and changed." Paris continued as though he hadn't heard Benvolio's question. "I don't care what you look like, but I believe it will affect the sensibilities of the ladies if you show up smelling like rats and feces." He motioned to the prison guard behind him. Benvolio jumped to his feet as the guard pulled out his key, unlocking the cell. The door creaked open its rusted hinges squeaking in protest. Benvolio backed against the wall. Paris sighed.

"Don't be stupid, Montague."

Three more prison guards came into the cell. He was knocked out before he even managed to get a hit in.

 

 

When he came to, he was sitting in an empty room. He'd been bathed and put in a red and black doublet and hose. It was similar to what he might have worn before the invasion. Before his betrothal. Before the party where Romeo had laid eyes on Juliet. Before any of this happened. Before Rosaline. 

He stood, his legs trembling. He was weak, the time in the cell having taken its toll. He walked over to the door, intent on getting his hands on a sword and finding Rosaline when it was opened. Mauricio, a servant from his uncle's house was on the other side. Bowing his head at Benvolio, he motioned to the hall.

"I have been ordered to escort you to the chapel."

"The chapel." Benvolio asked, his resolve giving way to confusion. There was no way Paris had dragged him from the cells to bring him to church. What was his game? An inner voice, that sounded like Rosaline, told him he should gather as much information as possible. Knowing, she'd argue, was better than stabbing without answers. 

"For the wedding." Mauricio shook his head before turning. Benvolio followed him through the palace. 

"Whose wedding?"

"Your lord uncle's, sir." Mauricio replied, leaving Benvolio even more confused than ever. 

The palace had changed much. Whatever Benvolio had thought of Escalus, he knew he'd been trying to preserve the Verona his father had ruled. Paris, it seemed, was ruling through terror and intimidation. Every servant they passed had a haunted look in their eyes. There were even some with bruises.  Then there were portraits of the usurper on every wall. All of them, showing him in glorious conquest. In some, his princess was sitting with him. Benvolio wondered if he was imagining the fear in Livia's eyes. Of Rosaline there was no trace. Surely he couldn't have had her killed?

The chapel was packed with noblemen and ladies. His uncle must have laid down his arms the second Paris approached the gate in order to warrant his wedding being held in the royal chapel. Benvolio felt a coppery taste enter his mouth at the thought of his uncle's cowardice. Sweeping his eyes across the crowd, he was unsurprised that many averted their eyes in shame. He and Rosaline had fought so hard to keep Escalus safe. Their bravery had been broadcast to the whole of Verona when Paris had publicly sentenced him to life in prison. All the people in here had turned their backs on Verona in favor of saving their own skin. Told their men to stand down in an effort to save their wealth. Shut their doors to those who sought refuge from the traitorous blades of the Mantuan supporters.

The only person who returned Benvolio's gaze was lord Capulet. He was surprised to see the old man and how much he'd aged in how much time Benvolio had been stuck in the dungeon. The man was sitting in the seats traditionally reserved for the family of the bride...that couldn't be right. 

He felt a cold rush of panic flow through him. Mauricio stood him at the front of the church. There was no conceivable reason for Lord Capulet to be seated where he was- Unless.

The doors of the chapel opened and Paris walked in, Livia on his arm. The princess of Verona looked sad. There was no life in her eyes as she reached a hand to her abdomen. Benvolio's eyes widened as he noted the swell of her stomach. She was with child. Following the prince and princess was lord Damiano Montague. Benvolio stiffened as his uncle walked up the aisle. He ignored Benvolio's presence, which wasn't unusual. In fact it was the most normal thing that had happened to him in a while. Benvolio's eyes went to the woman on his arm; Lord Montague's wife to be. Whoever she was, he pitied her. Though, he noted as he narrowed his eyes, she didn't seem excited at the situation either. In fact, it almost seemed as though she was being pulled down the aisle. Benvolio couldn't see her face because of her heavy veil. Glancing around he noted that all the other people in the room were averting their eyes. Except for Paris. He was grinning triumphantly and Livia. Livia had tears in her eyes and she was looking straight at Benvolio, as though begging him to do something. 

That's when it hit him. He looked back the bride.

"Rosaline." He shouted. She froze, her head snapping in the direction of the altar. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benvolio. Rosaline couldn't believe her eyes. She wrenched her arm out of Damiano's grasp, tearing off her veil as she ran forward. He was there. He was alive. He caught her as she threw her arms around him, uncaring of what surrounded them. He was thinner than when she'd seen him last and so very pale. His arms encircled her, but she could tell he'd been weakened. 4 months. She hadn't seen him in 4 months. 

"Benvolio." She held him. If he wasn't strong enough, then she had to be. Paris would have to break every bone in her arms before she'd let Benvolio go. 

"Rosaline." He pressed his face into her hair. 

"How delightful." Paris' voice came from behind them. Benvolio tried to put her behind him.

"Don't be stupid, Montague." Rosaline murmured, tightening her grip on him. "I already lost Escalus I refuse to lose you." 

Paris smirked. "But you won't lose him, dear sister in law. In fact, after this ceremony is through, you'll be his lady aunt. A fact that I'm sure will provide him much confusing comfort on those cold lonely nights in the dungeon-" 

"If you think." Rosaline glared at Damiano. "That I will ever marry that murderer, then you are sorely mistaken." Benvolio's hands twitched. 

"Lady Rosaline." Lord Montague took a step closer. "Be reasonable, this course of action will only endanger you." She glared at him. Benvolio had told her about his father's death while they had been trying to hide Escalus. She'd been trying to have Damiano arrested ever since, but of course, none of the nobility would dare contradict Paris and risk his ire. 

"So be it then." Rosaline swallowed, looking at Livia before turning her attention to the rest of the church. "Count Paris has imprisoned me and my sister while the rest of you watched on in silence. You turned your back on your prince while his own cousin slaughtered him. Our princess was forced to flee and now lives in exile while this man squanders the reputation of Verona. A once fair and just city." She felt her voice wavering as no one met her eyes. "Now you would sit back and allow him to sell me like chattel to my enemy for his own amusement. Damiano Montague, a man who protected the men who killed my father and poisoned the father of the man I love." 

A silence followed as her declaration echoed across the chapel's high vaulted ceiling. None would look at her. Angry tears pricked at her eyes. She'd known it had been in vain, but that did not ease her disappointment. Benvolio took in a sharp breath. "Capulet." He whispered. "There is no way out of this that does not end in bloodshed." He squeezed her hand. "I beg of you, do not allow it to be yours." 

She couldn't believe him. Did he expect her to marry his vile uncle for her safety? She refused. Romeo and Juliet had died for love and what she and Benvolio had endured together had been much more painful than their tragic two day romance. Turning to glare at him, she found a fire burning in his eyes. 

"I love you." 

The words were barely whispered before he lurched forward, stumbling around her and falling on his uncle. The two men struggled, but Benvolio managed to pull his uncle's sword from its scabbard. 

"Don't be foolish, boy." Damiano held up a hand between the two of them. 

"I can't allow you to marry her." Benvolio held up the sword, pointing its tip towards Damiano's chest. "And If I must die in order to prevent it, than so be it." 

A slow clapping noise came from the front row. Paris inclined his head, his signature smug look in place. Rosaline wanted to claw out his eyes. 

"As amazingly entertaining as this opening act was." He said. "I'm afraid we must get back to the main event." He lowered his hands, his expression growing vicious. "Kill him." 

Nothing happened. Paris looked around, irritation flowing off him. Rosaline's heart hammered in her chest as she mirrored his . 

"I said." Paris' teeth were gritted as he pointed to Benvolio. "Kill him." 

The doors to the chapel banged open. Everyone whirled around. "Men." Isabella strode in, wearing full battle armor, emblazoned with the purple crest of the royal house of Verona. "You're always so full of yourself." She tilted her head, pouting slightly. "You don't even bother to double check your plans." Her face hardened into a mask. "The archers you planted in the upper level of this church are dead and the palace, like the city are surrounded by my army." 

Paris sputtered. "What army?" 

"The army of loyal Veronese citizens." Isabella replied. "As well as a few loaned soldiers from our dear friends in Venice." She tapped her finger to her chin. "Turns out." She moved forward. "They don't like you." 

Benvolio backed away from his uncle, coming to stand next to Rosaline. She wound her arm around his waist. Whatever was going to happen in the next few minutes she needed him close. If not for any other reason then to keep him from doing anything stupid. They were coming out of this in one piece. 

 

 

 

 

 

Benvolio leaned back against Rosaline, letting her support him. He could feel her breathing, drawing strength in her presence. She was here. Alive. It was all he'd dreamed about in his confinement; being with her. 

He looked back at Isabella and Paris. "You'll never get away with this." Paris hissed. 

"No." Isabella glared. "It is you, cousin, who will not get away with your crimes." She walked up to him, drawing a sword from his scabbard. "You killed my brother. Your own blood and mine. For that, you must pay the price." She lifted her weapon. "I'm going to enjoy every minute of this." 

Paris snorted. "You dare challenge me?" 

"You're right." Isabella sighed. "It is monumentally unbalanced, but I'm sure I will be alright. The same, however cannot be said for you." 

Benvolio barely saw the first strike, but suddenly Paris' sword was in his hand, swinging towards Isabella. She blocked easily. Benvolio wanted to help her, but Rosaline's grip on his waist tightened. 

"She trained in secret for years." She murmured in Benvolio's ear. "She can handle this. And she hasn't been growing fat and lazy for the last four months like Paris." She paused. "And she hasn't been starving in a cell for four months either." 

He bit his lip. "Your kindness bowls me over, Capulet." 

"I prefer you alive, Montague." Rosaline murmured.

Before he could retort, Isabella disarmed Paris. His sword clattered to the ground. Looking at the point of Isabella's weapon, he pulled a dagger out of his belt and grabbed Livia, holding the blade to her neck. Rosaline's hands tightened. 

"Back up." Paris growled. "Or I'll-" His eyes went unfocused as a cracking noise resounded in the chapel. Paris dropped his dagger falling to the ground as he crumpled after it. Lord Capulet stood over the fallen Mantuan, glaring at him, holding a broken flower vase. 

"Do not threaten my family again." 

Livia rushed towards Rosaline. Benvolio felt cold at the loss of her hold, but the sight of the two sisters holding each other brought warmth to his heart. 

Isabella stood over Paris. "Make sure he wakes in the deepest dungeon." She turned to the assembled noblemen. "People of Verona. Your actions these last few months will not be forgotten." Her gaze swept across the room as everyone cowered before her. "I will not forget who turned their backs on us in our time of need." She lifted her sword and pointed it at his uncle. "Starting with you, Lord Damiano." She tilted her head. "I ran into Tessa in Venice. She had some particularly interesting things to say." 

"And I'm sure she claimed her innocence." Damiano spat. 

"She's being held in Florence by the Medici's because of her considerable debts." Isabella said. "That does not change the veracity of your involvement in the death of Giaccomo Montague." She looked over at Benvolio. "Your will renounce your title and your fortune and turn them over to their rightful owner. Your nephew, Benvolio Montague." She lowered her sword. "Then you will leave Verona and never return." 

Damiano looked over at Benvolio before nodding stiffly. "As the princess commands." 

Isabella looked over at Lord Capulet. "Lord Silvestro?" Her expression softened. "Thank you." 

He gave her a stiff bow. Rosaline looked at her in alarm. "Thank you?" She exclaimed. Isabella arched an eyebrow. 

"It was he who worked tirelessly to bring my forces into the city in secret." She explained. Lord Capulet gave Rosaline a bleary smile. 

"I was simply trying to put right my wife's wrongs, your grace." He paused. "And my wrongs towards my family." 

Rosaline glared. "It's a bit too late for that." 

Isabella turned to the assembled audience. "Everyone leave." 

There was a scramble as everyone rushed to the door, no doubt hoping that if they left quickly, Isabella would forget their presence at the wedding. Benvolio doubted it. All that were left were Isabella, Rosaline, Livia, and Lord Capulet. Isabella sheathed her sword. 

"Livia." She walked over to the younger Capulet sister, taking her hands. "I cannot begin to apologize for not coming sooner to your rescue." 

Livia squeezed her fingers. "Just let justice be done." 

Isabella nodded. "You will be a widow soon." 

A fierce gleam entered Livia's eyes. "Then let it be so." 

Rosaline seemed taken aback, but didn't say anything. Isabella looked at the younger Capulet's pregnant belly. 

"You will remain a Countess, Lady Livia." She paused. "And your child is the heir to the Mantuan throne." She gave her a bracing smile. "The palace is your home for as long as you wish it." 

Livia smiled. "Thank you, your grace." 

Isabella turned her attention to Rosaline. "Lady Rosaline." She paused. The two women had not seen each other since the day of the invasion. The day they both lost Escalus. Benvolio watched as something unspoken transpired between them. "How can I repay you for what I owe you?" Isabella murmured.

There was a silence, then Rosaline let go of her sister and walked to him. 

"All I wish." She said. "Is to marry this man." She paused, looking over at him. "If he will have me." 

Benvolio's heart lept, even as he smirked. "That is awfully presumptuous of you." He murmured, even as he pulled her tightly against him. "My beloved." 

Isabella looked between them, then nodded. "Well, I will send for the priest." 

 

 

 

 

 

Shutting the door to the master bedroom in House Montague, Benvolio turned and looked at Rosaline. She was walking around the room, taking in the bookshelf. While the servants had done their best to remove much of the previous owner's possessions on short notice, the bookcase clearly had been overlooked. Benvolio was grateful, if for nothing else than the look on Rosaline's face. 

"So." He said. "We are married." 

Rosaline turned, grinning. "Yes. It appears my being the Lady Montague was inescapable." 

Benvolio walked over to the bed, weariness over taking him as he lay down. "Do not presume to blame, me Capulet. You begged for this marriage." 

"Begged?" Rosaline said, sitting at his side. 

"Yes." Benvolio sighed. "It is telling that the only way you find yourself a husband is by royal decree." 

"And yet I did not hear you complain." Rosaline retorted. 

"I was hardly in a position to make demands." Benvolio murmured. "Now I am to be cursed with a lifetime of marital bliss with my beloved." 

"Tragic, really." Rosaline murmured. He patted the space on the bed. She lay down next to him, curling her body next to his as he buried his face in her hair. He shut his eyes, breathing in her scent and feeling her warmth radiating next to him. If anyone had told him that morning that he'd end up free and married to the amazing woman next to him, he'd probably have thought them insane. 

"Benvolio?" She murmured, her voice soft. "Do you not want to..." She paused and he felt her cheeks grow hot. He grinned, drawing a finger along her jaw.

"Not tonight." He murmured. "But come the morn, if you wish, I will be more than happy to fully become your husband." 

 

 

 

 

Rosaline felt something warm underneath her cheek. Pressing closer, she refused to open her eyes. For the last 4 months, she'd imagined a way out of her horrific betrothal. Though she'd resented her betrothal to Benvolio, she'd never feared him the way she did his uncle. He'd hurt her and she knew it. After all, he definitely knew who had killed her father. So she kept her eyes closed, allowing herself to pretend to be with Benvolio. 

A sigh sounded above her and the warmth beneath her shifted. It sounded like Benvolio. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up. Benvolio was asleep, his arms around her. She bit her lip, memories of the previous day flooding back to her. Slowly extracting herself from his hold, she smiled as he mumbled, his arms reaching for her. His brow creased. She gave him a kiss to ease it away. Standing next to the bed she looked down at the wedding gown she hadn't changed out of. It was wrinkled and probably ruined, but she didn't care. She'd had nightmares about its removal for the previous weeks. At least this way, it was on her own terms.

Benvolio stirred, apparently not content with the kiss. Opening his eyes, he sat up, looking wildly around. His eyes settling on Rosaline. She gave him a smile. He exhaled. "So it wasn't a dream?" He murmured. 

"No." She replied, suddenly nervous. Benvolio edged closer, sitting at the side of the bed, looking up at her. 

"You are like a dream." He murmured, a smile stealing over his lips. "Wife." 

She frowned, pressing a hand to his forehead. "Well, you aren't ill..." She hummed. "So I guess you must mean all those compliments." 

Benvolio chuckled, putting his hands at her waist. "This from the woman who declared her love for me and demanded that I married her." Pulling her so she was standing between his legs, he grinned up at her.

"You poor creature." Rosaline threaded her fingers in his hair. He closed his eyes, his lips parting as he leaned into her fingers. 

"I suffered greatly." He mumbled. 

Rosaline shook her head and was about to give him a scathing reply when he stood, silencing her by pressing his lips to hers. While surprising and sudden, the move was gentle. Rosaline dropped her hands to his shoulders, steadying herself as it was suddenly difficult to stand. She was trembling, she realized. Benvolio pulled back. 

"Are you alright?" His voice was soft. 

She nodded, smiling and leaning in for another kiss. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If his kiss had left her trembling, it was nothing compared to how he managed to take her apart after. Rosaline lay beneath him, gripping Benvolio to her. He moved, pressing her into the mattress as he filled her. It was too much. She whined, rolling her hips in time with his, trying to get more of him. 

"Shhh." He murmured against her ear as she moaned. "Slowly, wife. I want to take my time with you." 

"Funny." She gasped. "I want as much of you." She shivered as he circled his hips, his manhood stretching her in a way that made her toes curl. "As many times...as you can stand." 

Benvolio muttered a curse, his pace speeding up. Rosaline barely had time to feel smug when he entered her at an angle that had her seeing stars and shaking. "Oh Montague." She cried out, her hips rising off the bed as her vision went white. 

She felt limp, her head floating as Benvolio pushed forward, biting out her name as he climaxed. 

Collapsing on top of her, he breathed heavily, grinning at her with unfocused eyes. Rosaline kissed his brow, running her fingers through his hair. He pressed kisses down her throat, pulling out as he moved down her body. She squirmed as he latched his mouth onto one of her breasts. 

"What?" He asked. She could feel him smiling against her skin. 

"I feel..." She arched her back, pushing herself further against his touch. She could form the words. 

"Happy." Benvolio supplied. She grinned, nodding. 

"Happy." 


	19. Chapter 19

Juliet and Romeo walked into the Capulet girls' living room only to be met with twin expressions of irritation from Benvolio and Rosaline. 

"Heeeey guys." Juliet said, forcing a smile on her face. 

"How stupid do you think we are?" Rosaline held up a piece of paper and read from it. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate." 

Benvolio's nose wrinkled in disgust. "It's your handwriting, Romeo." He shook his head. "I grew up with you, did you really think I wouldn't recognize it?" He held up a piece of paper, clearing his throat. "Doubt thou the stars are fire; doubt the sun doth move; doubt truth to be a liar; but never doubt that I love-" He shook his head. "I mean, as if Rosaline has ever said anything so nice to anyone, ever." 

Rosaline shot him a glare before turning her attention back to their cousins. "I took three years of high school English with this guy. He wouldn't know a metaphor from a simile to save his life, much less create one." 

Benvolio returned her glare. "I got an A." 

"Because the library was named after your grandfather." Rosaline snapped back. 

"Alright." Juliet held up her hands, stopping Benvolio's retort before he could give it. "We-" Romeo coughed. Juliet sighed, shaking her head. "I thought there was something more to your fighting and I thought if the two of you thought you were in love with each other you'd give in to the tension and..." She motioned between them. "You know." 

Rosaline and Benvolio leaned forward, confusion on their faces. Juliet looked helplessly over at Romeo who sighed. 

"Fuck each other like rabbits." He said. 

"Ew."

"Disgusting." 

Rosaline and Benvolio looked at each other, sharing identical looks of annoyed distaste. 

Romeo put his hand on Juliet's shoulder. "We were wrong." He said, steering her towards the door of the apartment. "We'll um... see you guys later." Pulling Juliet out, he shut the door. As soon as it locked behind them, Benvolio and Rosaline relaxed. Benvolio turned towards Rosaline, who held up a hand to stop him. Walking over to the window, she waited until she saw their cousins entering a cab. 

"They're gone." She turned grinning as Benvolio pulled her into a kiss. "Mmm." She threaded her fingers in his hair. "Do you think they bought it?" 

"Don't care." Benvolio gripped her thighs, pulling her up so she wrapped her legs around his waist. Rosaline pulled her head back. 

"They're going to know sooner or later." She murmured. 

"I know." Benvolio said. "And when that happens, there's going to be hell to pay from our families, but for now..." He kissed her nose. "I like it just being us. No angry Montagues. No bitter Capulets. Just Rosaline and Benvolio." 

Rosaline nodded. "Those two will never let us hear the end of it." 

Benvolio rolled his eyes. "Let them. They were so clueless they didn't even know we'd been dating for 3 months right under their noses." He tilted his head, smirking. "So, Capulet." He wagged his eyebrows. "Wanna fuck like rabbits?" 

Rosaline laughed, shaking her head. "Montague, you truly have a way with words."


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Modern game night AU

Rosaline was going to kill each and every one of them. Slowly and creatively. Game night was supposed to be sacred in the Capulet loft she, Livia, an Juliet shared, but her cousin had taken it upon herself to invite Montagues. Juliet was canoodling with Romeo as if nothing was wrong and Benvolio Montague wasn't sitting on Rosaline's futon.

"You can't be serious." She glared at Juliet.

"You and Livia invited Escalus and Isabella." Her cousin pointed out.

"Because we're dating Escalus and Isabella."

"At the same time?" Mercutio called out from the kitchen. He'd made a beeline for it when he'd arrived, declaring himself the official DrinkMeister of the evening. He was currently mixing something that Rosaline was sure was illegal in certain states. "Kinky."

Rolling her eyes, Rosaline focused on the problem in front of her. As long as Mercutio steered clear of the stove they should be okay. "We agreed to significant others. Not their entourage."

Benvolio snorted. "I see what you mean about her not being so bad once you spend more time with her, Romeo."

"Don't be an asshole, Ben." Romeo said. "It's not like you have anywhere better to be."

"He can't help it." Rosaline grumbled. "It's his default setting."

Benvolio shrugged. Something was definitely up. No smart comeback? He was either upset or planning something. She took in his 5 o'clock shadow, the circles under his eyes and the general rumpled nature of his appearance. Benvolio spent a large amount of time to look like he didn't try. This was different. He was actually a mess. Looking up at her, Benvolio glowered, shifting uncomfortably. "See something you like, Capulet?"

"I see someone sitting in my damn seat." Rosaline snapped, heat rushing to her cheeks at the idea that anyone could even think she was checking him out.

The doorbell rang. Livia rushed towards it, throwing it open. "Izzie!" She grinned, pulling her girlfriend into a hello kiss. Rosaline looked behind the two. The hall outside their loft was empty. Isabella pulled away from Livia and gave Rosaline a sad look.

"He's going to be late." She explained. "Didn't he text you?"

"No." Rosaline murmured, embarrassment curling in her stomach. Damn Escalus. She knew his job was important which is why she never complained when he worked late or forgot their anniversary or cancelled plans at the last second. She'd asked him to be there for her and he couldn't be bothered. Compartmentalizing her feelings about Escalus to deal with later, she straightened her spine, bracing herself for the others (specifically Benvolio's) taunting. It didn't come. Instead Benvolio was giving her an inscrutable look. Ducking his gaze, he got up to help Mercutio pour the drinks. 

"Well, I guess that means we don't have enough players to do teams." Juliet said, oblivious to the way her statement made Rosaline cringe. "Romeo and I would have wiped the floor with you all, any-" 

"By what?" Benvolio interrupted. "Being cutesy until we begged for the sweet release of death?" 

Rosaline had to fight a smile that was tugging at her lips. A glance in Benvolio's direction revealed he was looking at her. He gave her a small nod before flushing and dropping his gaze. Mercutio watched this interaction before grinning and swaggering over to the table, tray in hand. 

"As you know, I'm more of a watcher." He winked as everyone groaned. "So that solves our numbers problem. Rozzie bear can team up with Benny boy."

Rosaline glanced back over at Benvolio. He was watching her, an unnerving habit. And to be honest, he hadn't been too insufferable tonight. Should she consider...what the hell was she thinking? 

"Absolutely not." She said as Benvolio shook his head saying. "No way." 

"Off you go." Mercutio dismissed their protests. "I'll be scorekeeper. Now get thee to the futon." 

"It's kind of unfair to play couple games with a non couple..." Livia began. 

"Wait!" Juliet threw up her arms, her eyes wide. "Do you guys realize what this means?" She clapped her hands in excitement. "Rosaline might actually lose game night." Livia's eyes lit up as Juliet nodded enthusiastically. Before Rosaline knew it, she found herself crammed onto the futon next to Benvolio Montague. Their treacherous friends were smirking and plotting around them. 

"Capulet." Benvolio muttered out of the corner of his mouth. "I don't want you to get any ideas that I like you or anything, but I'd like to propose a truce." 

Rosaline arched an eyebrow before whispering back. "And why's that?" 

Benvolio glared around them before leaning "Because I want to punish our friends and I'm going to need all your evil genius if we want to win this thing." 

Rosaline glared across the room where Juliet was mocking her with her gloating grin. It would be nice to wipe that smirk off her face and it would take her mind off the fact that Escalus wasn't here. "Montague." She murmured. "You've got yourself a deal." She looked at the white board where Mercutio was creating a grid to tally the scores. "We're playing pictionary, Charades and the Newlywed game. That last one will be the hardest. I kill it at Charades and since you were an Art Minor in college so I'm assuming you've got that covered-" 

"So just because I was an art student you think I'm good at pictionary?" Benvolio asked, leaning into the futon and throwing his arm over the back. Rosaline shot him a glare. Was he interrupting her vengeance plan to make jokes? 

"Do you want me to end this truce?" She asked. 

He shook his head. "By all means, Capulet. Plot away." 

Rosaline crossed her arms, shaking her head. "If we do well enough in the other two games, we should be able to mitigate any damage from the Newlywed game." 

Benvolio nodded thoughtfully as Mercutio lapped his hands. "Okay contestants." He grinned. "Let's boogie." 

Rosaline shook her head. "Humans don't talk like you." 

Mercutio sighed heavily. "I know." 

"Not a compliment." Benvoliio muttered. 

"Let's start." Mercutio raised his voice as Rosaline smirked. "With charades. So declares the DrinkMeister, Scorekeeper and Official Overseer of Fun and Recreation." 

"He's going to keep adding titles the more he drinks." Benvolio muttered. Rosaline nodded, watching Mercutio pull out game cards. Relaxing slightly, she got into the zone. This might not be so terrible. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosaline looked down at the card, reading the name before nodding and handing it back to Mercutio. They were 4 for 4 at charades. One more point and they'd have a perfect score, putting them in first place for the first round. Taking a deep breath, she locked eyes with Benvolio. He'd been surprisingly good at reading her, which had pissed off Juliet. She'd been so confident, but she and Romeo currently had zero points. Livia and Isabella had 3. Rosaline began, making the sign for movie. 

"Movie." Benvolio said. Rosaline tapped 3 fingers on her arm. "3 words." Rosaline nodded, holding up 2 fingers. "Second word." Rosaline bared her teeth, imitating a roar. "Um...monster....tiger...lion?" 

Rosaline nodded, preparing to act out the last word when Benvolio's eyes lit up. 

"LION KING." 

"Yes!" Rosaline said as the others groaned. 

"Un fucking fair." Juliet grumbled. "One word? She acts out one word and he gets it." 

"Hold up." Mercutio held up a hand. "The card clearly says THE Lion King which means-" 

"HA." Juliet grinned. 

"Semantics." Rosaline scoffed, going back to her seat. 

"Give us the damn point, Merc." Benvolio agreed. 

Mercutio puffed up, putting a hand to his chest in mock outrage. "Do you _dare_ be rude to **me**?" He scoffed. "Me. The DrinkMeister, Scorekeeper, official overseer of Fun and Recreation, and Arbiter Extraordinaire?" 

Rosaline rolled her eyes. "Should we drink whenever he comes up with a new title?" She murmured. 

Benvolio smirked, looking at her with interest. "Why Rosaline Capulet. I would never have expected it. Does this mean you know how to have...fun?" 

"Shut up." Rosaline muttered, smiling in spite of herself as she gave him a shove. Benvolio shook his head, clutching at his chest. 

"You don't know him like I do." He muttered. "Also I saw what he put in those drinks and I like having a working liver." 

"Your frat boy days say otherwise." Rosaline shot back. Benvolio's ears flushed red. 

"Low blow, Capulet." He mumbled, but he was smiling. 

"Lightweight."  She shot back. 

Benvolio bit his lip, shaking his head. "You know what? If for nothing else but to watch you make an ass of yourself-" 

"Hey!" Mercutio shouted. "Don't ignore the game guru when he's pissed at you." When he turned to add a point to their score Rosaline took a sip of her drink. Benvolio licked his lips before shrugging. 

"Capulet," He grabbed his glass taking a drink. "It's your funeral." 

 

 

 

 

 

It was midway through Romeo and Juliet's stab at pictionary that Rosaline noticed that Escalus hadn't arrived yet. And that he hadn't bothered to reach out to tell her where he was. Swallowing her disappointment, she focused on her cousin Romeo was terrible at drawing and while Juliet was trying to be supportive, she was quickly losing patience. Benvolio nudged Rosaline's knee with his. 

"When we were kids." He said. "Romeo was so bad at art he accidentally created a color our teacher couldn't identify by mixing all the paints together." He smirked. "He's expertly terrible at this." His eyes softened as he looked at her. Dropping his voice, he asked. "You okay, Capulet?"

Rosaline wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of lording her crumbling relationship over her head. "I'm fine." She said. "Just...dizzy." 

Benvolio frowned. "Now I know something's wrong." 

She scoffed. "How do you figure?" 

Benvolio shrugged. "Simple. After all your talk of how you were going to drink me under the table, you admit defeat?" He shook his head. "That's not like you." 

"You call that a palm tree?" Juliet had apparently finally cracked. The entire rest of the room was focused on the couple, ignoring her and Benvolio. 

"It's tree shaped?" Romeo said, hesitantly. 

She could feel Benvolio watching her. "Me not laughing at your story isn't exactly weird, Montague." She mumbled. "You aren't funny." 

Benvolio frowned, shaking his head. Glancing at the door, he gave her a sad look. "He's an idiot." 

Rosaline narrowed her eyes. Was he trying to be nice to her? If there was one thing besides teasing that she would take from Benvolio, it was pity. "Who?" She asked. 

Benvolio hesitated before saying. "My cousin. He knows he can't draw for shit." He shook his head. Rosaline knew what he was doing. She should be angry, but she found the focus of her annoyance wasn't Benvolio. Escalus was the one who hadn't shown up for game night. Escalus was the one who hadn't bothered to even text her to tell her he'd be late, if he was even planning on coming at all. 

She was going to have fun. She was going to enjoy herself. 

"Grandmaster Fun demands you silence your squabbling." Mercutio shouted. Rosaline reached for her drink, taking a drink. Benvolio blinked. Rosaline threw him a challenging glance. 

Benvolio nodded, grabbing his glass and following suit. 

 

 

 

Then it was their turn at pictionary. Benvolio walked over to the drawing board, grabbing the marker. Mercutio watched him carefully before writing something down and showing it to him. Benvolio's nose wrinkled, but he nodded. 

"Time starts..." Mercutio said. "Now." 

Benvolio's hand flew across the board. Rosaline watched for about 30 seconds before guessing. "The Mona Lisa." 

Benvolio nodded, erasing the picture. Mercutio grumbled before scribbling out another card. Benvolio read it before grinning and drawing. 

"Grand Canyon." Rosaline said. 

The next three rounds went pretty much the same. Mercutio, who was getting increasingly annoyed, would give Benvolio a clue. Benvolio would sketch it and Rosaline would guess it in one try. They were 5 for 5 by the end of the round. Benvolio grinned, putting up his hand for a high five as he sat down. "Nice guessing Capulet." 

Rosaline grinned. "Well, it wasn't too hard." She grimaced before saying. "You're a halfway decent artist." 

"Halfway decent?" Benvolio chuckled. There was no venom in his tone. When the two of them focused their energy on others instead of insulting each other they made a halfway decent team. Not that she would admit it to Benvolio. Or anyone else for that matter.

Juliet glared at the two of them. "I hate the two of you." 

Benvolio smirked. "Someone's salty cuz she's losing." 

"Come on, Jules." Rosaline said. "It's not about who wins or loses." 

"It's about having fun." Benvolio finished, his voice grave. Rosaline grinned at him before she could stop herself. To her surprise, he was smiling as well. 

Juliet scoffed. "Well." She said. "I hope you keep that cheery attitude for the next round." She pointed to the board. "Because there's no way in hell you two win any points at the newlywed game. 

Before Rosaline could retort, the doorbell rang. An awkward silence fell. Rosaline got up, tugging on her sweater. It couldn't be Escalus and yet...When she walked over to the door, she knew who she'd find on the other side. 

"Babe." Escalus shot her that grin. The 'Rosaline forgive me for neglecting you because I'm cute' grin. It had worked on her in the past, but right now. It made her sick. He leaned in for a kiss and she pulled back, stepping aside.

"We started without you." She walked back towards the couch. Escalus shut the door. 

"Hey guys." He smiled at the others. Juliet and Livia both returned it. Isabella was glaring at him and so, confusingly, was Benvolio. 

"Roz and Bennie have been kicking ass." Mercutio said. Escalus looked at the scoreboard before looking at Rosaline. 

"You played with Benvolio Monatuge?" He laughed. Rosaline didn't respond. It was probably petty, but she didn't trust herself not to yell at him. So the silent treatment was the best option. Escalus shook his head, looking back at the futon. "Thanks for not killing each other. Montague, I'll take over." 

"No." 

Rosaline wasn't sure who'd spoken, until everyone looked at her in surprise. "I uh...I mean-" 

"It's not fair." Benvolio jumped in. "We started this and I'm sure the others don't want us to switch teammates now." He shrugged. "Plus, I want to play." 

Escalus snorted. "I mean, you're going to play the Newlywed game." He looked at Rosaline. "Babe, he doesn't know you." He chuckled. "You hate losing." 

Rosaline knew it meant losing the game, but she wasn't about to let Escalus just waltz in 2 hours late and expect everything to be okay. "Mercutio." She looked at him. "As the Game Guru, it's your decision." 

Mercutio puffed up his chest. "Finally. Someone who respects my authority." He grinned. "I tell you, the way you people have treated me-" 

"Merc." Benvolio interrupted. Mercutio glared before saying. 

"Bennie's right. No switching teams unless you want to start from zero, basically guaranteeing your loss." 

Rosaline shrugged at Escalus. "Like you said. I hate losing" She went back to her seat next to Benvolio on the futon. Escalus shook his head. 

"I know you're mad, but this is childish." He said. Rosaline didn't reply. Escalus sighed. "Fine. Play with Benvolio. He's going to make you miserable." 

"We haven't killed each other yet." Benvolio said. 

Escalus scoffed. "Rosaline, the two of you have no chance." 

"As opposed to certainly losing if I play with you?" Rosaline shot back. "Besides. It's not about who wins or loses. It's about having fun and playing the game." 

Escalus crossed his arms, sitting on the couch opposite them. 

"Well." Mercutio clapped his hands. "I'm not one for drama." 

"Liar." Benvolio muttered out of  the corner of his mouth. Rosaline stifled a laugh. 

"But I'd say instead of going one team at a time, we should do everyone together. So." He handed markers and pads of paper to each team. "Rozzie, Jules, Livy." He pointed to the couch. "You'll sit here while the others." He pointed. "Will sit in the hot seat." He clapped his hands. "You'll be asked a question about your partners. They'll write down their answers. Then you guess, after which the answers are revealed. All right answers get a point. Three questions then you switch with your partner" He smirked. "Couples." He paused before looking at Benvolio and Rosaline. "And lifelong enemies. Are you ready to play...the Newlywed game." 

Rosaline sat next to Livia, marker in hand. Escalus was looking exceptionally smug and he had every right to be. She'd been so eager to stick it to him, she hadn't stopped to think about what playing with Benvolio would mean. 

"Easy question to start off with." Mercutio said. "My dear friends. Tell me about your partner's childhood pet." He smirked. "I'm going to need species and name." 

Rosaline sighed before scribbling across her pad. Next to her, Livia and Juliet followed suit. Mercutio went down the line, starting with Romeo. 

"A cat." He said. "Named Mr. Snuggles." 

Juliet held up her board, grinning. Mercutio moved on to Isabella. 

"Also a cat. Named Swan Queen." 

Livia nodded, turning her pad around. 

Mercutio moved to Benvolio, before sighing. "Should I spare you both the humiliation?" 

Benvolio looked up at him before shaking his head. "Rosaline had a bearded dragon named Reptar." He looked over at her. "You're allergic to cats, which is why Swan Queen had to live outside." 

The entire room fell silent before turning to Rosaline. She turned her pad, showing that Benvolio had indeed guessed the correct answer. 

"How." Mercutio said. "The fuck?" 

Benvolio shrugged. "3rd grade Show and Tell. She brought him in." He rolled up his sleeve, showing a faint scar up his upper arm. "And he bit me." 

Rosaline laughed. "I forgot about that." 

"Lucky you." Benvolio muttered. 

"Huh." Mercutio looked between the two of them before shaking his head. "Points all around, I guess." 

Out of the corner of her eye, Rosaline could see Escalus shift uncomfortably. Good, she thought to herself. Let him squirm. Her satisfaction would probably be short lived anyways because there was no way Benvolio could get any of the other questions right. 

"Okay, Lovers and Loathers." Mercutio said. "Question two. Name the most embarrassing thing your partner has done in front of you." 

Rosaline winced. Over the years of their families hating each other and their on personal school rivalry plenty of embarrassing things had gone down between them. To pick just one...? Benvolio looked over at her, arching an eyebrow before smirking. She grimaced. Oh she knew exactly which story he was going to tell. Gritting her teeth, she wrote it down. Her cheeks were on fire as Mercutio went down the line, listening to the stories that the others were sharing. Finally it was Benvolio's turn. He leaned back against the couch cushions. 

"I don't know if Capulet wants me to tell this story." He sighed gravely. "In fact, I'm sure she doesn't so all I'll say is the 10th grade production of the Sound of Music." 

Rosaline exhaled, flipping over her pad, showing where she'd written Sound of Music, 10th grade. The room fell silent. Escalus ground his teeth. "What happened?" he asked. 

Rosaline ducked her eyes. "He saw me in an embarrassing position." 

"Aaah." Mercutio nodded sagely. "Reverse cowgirl." 

Rosaline threw a pillow at him. "You're disgusting." 

He ducked. "And if you don't give me specifics that's what I'm going to have to assume." 

"You were stagemanager for that play." Juliet said. "And every other play. What could he possibly have seen?" 

"Wait..." Livia said. "Sound of music...that's when both Marias got mono..." She held up a hand to her mouth. "And...and...and...." Her eyes widened. "Rosaline had to take over the Saturday afternoon show." 

"Guys. Stop digging." Benvolio muttered. "Next question." 

"Hold up...wasn't Benvolio set designer?" Romeo said. 

Benvolio shot Rosaline an apologetic look before saying. "Look. We got the point. Next question." 

"I want to hear what happened." Escalus was using his Assistant District Attorney voice. Rosaline glared at him. 

"I was changing into the Maria costume. A seam split because my ass was bigger than the girl who played Maria and Benvolio happened to walk into the room as it happened." The part she wasn't going to tell him was that she hadn't done laundry that day so she'd been forced to wear the thong Isabella had gotten her as a joke birthday gift. And that Benvolio had been the one to repair the seam.

"He saw you naked." Escalus said. 

"It was 10th grade." Rosaline rolled her eyes. "And I wasn't naked." She glared at Mercutio. "Next question." 

Mercutio, mercifully, had decided that he'd tortured her enough. "Okay. Last question before the switch. Name the other person's favorite vacation spot." 

Rosaline sighed. At least they'd gotten two points. Writing down her answer, she looked over at Benvolio. He had his arm crossed, a strange expression on his face as he kept his eyes on the ground. Escalus was glaring at him. 

Romeo got his answer wrong. Isabella tried to bribe Livia with a trip to the destination if she told her what it was. Livia caved and got herself a trip to Tahiti. Mercutio denied them the point, but declared Livia winner at life, even if she wasn't going to win the game. Then he stopped in front of Benvolio. 

"Answer, young man." 

Benvolio glanced at Escalus before looking up at Mercutio. "Costa Rica." 

"HA." Escalus looked over at Rosaline triumphantly. "Her favorite destination is Cancun where I took her for her birthday last year. Tell him babe." 

Rosaline bit her lip. The look of happiness slid off Escalus' face. 

"Babe." He repeat. "Tell him." 

Rosaline turned the pad around to show him where she'd written Costa Rica. Escalus blinked in surprise before shaking his head, and getting up, walking towards the door. "Escalus." 

He stopped, glaring at Benvolio. "How the hell did you know that?" 

Benvolio didn't answer. Escalus clenched his fist and took a step towards him. For a second, Rosaline was worried he would hit him. Putting herself between the two, she put her hands on Escalus' chest, holding him back. 

He glared down at her, his eyes flashing dangerously. "How does he know so much about you? Huh?" He grabbed her hands. 

"I...I don't know." Rosaline said.

"I think you need to take a step back." She hadn't heard Benvolio get up, but suddenly he was next to her, glaring at Escalus. 

"I think you need to stay out of this." Escalus growled. "And maybe stop paying so much attention to my girlfriend." 

"I haven't." Benvolio was somehow still calm, his eyes on Escalus' hands covering Rosaline's. "Though apparently neither have you." Escalus lunged for him, tearing his hands out of Rosaline's hold and punching him. 

"ESCALUS." Rosaline shouted as Benvolio stumbled back, his hand on his face. 

Isabella and Mercutio pulled Escalus away from Benvolio. He was furious, glaring at the Montague. "Maybe if you'd spent less time stalking my girl you'd have realized Stella was cheating on you." 

A silence fell. Benvolio recoiled, his reaction to this insult more visceral than his reaction to the punch. 

"Outside." Rosaline said, pointing to the hall. "Now." 

Escalus gave Benvolio a smirk as he walked out. Rosaline looked over her shoulder, trying to give him an apologetic look. He was looking at her, concerned. Shutting the door, she glared at Escalus. 

"What is wrong with you?" 

"I don't like that guy." He said. "I'm going to report his stalking to you. He's clearly obsessed and -" 

"He's not obsessed with me. We can't stand each other." Rosaline said. 

"Oh really?" Escalus said. "Is that why you jumped on the change to team up with him for game night." 

"You weren't here." Rosaline snapped. "He was, even though he wasn't invited- '

"If I had know he was going to be here..." Escalus mumbled. 

"What?" Rosaline glared at him. "What would you have done, Escalus? Made an effort to be here? Because you were completely okay thinking I'd be by myself tonight, but now that you know I had fun and that it wasn't be with you, you decide I'm a priority." 

Escalus shook his head. "I'm not having this conversation again, Rosaline. You know I have a lot of work." 

"I sincerely doubt that your father, the District Attorney, gives his son that much work." Rosaline shook her head. "It's not like you had to work for the job, it was handed to you." 

Escalus breathed heavily. "Is that what you think?" 

"I think this relationship...and I, have never been a priority. Unless you wanted to throw my name around." She walked to the door. "You're right. We aren't having this conversation again. Ever. We're done." 

"Rosaline." Escalus said, his voice dropping. He was using his 'be reasonable' voice. She hated his 'be reasonable' voice. "You've had a lot to drink and-" 

"Good, then I'm too drunk to over analyze and forgive you for the hundredth time." She walked back to the door. "We're done, Escalus." Opening the door, she stepped aside as Mercutio, Romeo, Juliet and Livia fell onto the ground, clearly having been pressing their ears against the door. Stepping inside, she let them brush themselves off and mumble excuses. Escalus was about to walk into the apartment when Livia and Mercutio blocked the door. 

"Nope." Mercutio said. "You need to go home." He said. "Cousin or not. You don't punch my friend and get away with it." 

The door closed. Rosaline looked around at the others. "I guess game night is over." She frowned. Where was Benvolio? 

"He's out on the balcony." Livia said, holding out a bag of frozen peas. Rosaline took it, nodding her thanks. Walking outside, she took a moment to look at Benvolio. He was staring angrily out at the buildings. 

"You okay?" He asked, not turning in her direction. 

"I think I should be asking you that." She held out the bag of peas. Benvolio took it with a grim nod. Pressing it to his face, he hissed slightly. "I'm sorry-" 

"Capulet, you have nothing to apologize for." Benvolio interrupted. 

"I wasn't apologizing for him." Rosaline shot back. "I'm sorry you got caught in the cross fire." She leaned against the railing. "And for what he said to you." 

Benvolio shook his head. "To be fair, if I was dating you and another guy knew a bunch of stuff about you, I'd be worried too." 

Rosaline wrinkled her nose. "Urgh." 

"What?" 

"Nothing." She shook her head. "Just...us...dating." She shuddered. "I know we agreed to a truce, but if you're going to talk crazy, I'm ending it now." 

Benvolio chuckled. "We are pretty good at being enemies." He agreed. "But this truce was kind of...not terrible." He turned, facing her. "Plus. We won."

Rosaline nodded. "About...what Escalus said. About Stella." 

Benvolio frowned, turning back towards the city. Rosaline hesitated before pushing on. 

"The truce is still ongoing, so...if you want to talk to someone. I promise to listen." 

Benvolio lowered the bag of peas from his face. "Weirdly enough, I might take you up on that, Capulet." He shook his head. "Just promise me one thing." 

"What?" 

"This truce ends at midnight. I just don't know how much of you being nice to me I can take." 

Rosaline laughed. "Deal." She frowned. "How did you know the answer was Costa Rica?" 

Benvolio sighed. "Sea turtles." He explained. "I just remember when you came back from that summer volunteering at the conservation center, you wouldn't shut up about those stupid lizards." 

"They're NOT lizards." Rosaline snapped, before catching Benvolio's amused smirk. "Very funny, Montague." 

"Practicing for when we hate each other again." Benvolio said. Rosaline snorted. 

"You don't hate me, Montague."  She shook her head. "And I don't think I hate you either." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside, Romeo, Juliet, Livia, Isabella, and Mercutio watched their two friends talk. 

"So..." Mercutio said. "Who had them finally putting aside their differences?" 

Romeo raised his hand, grinning as Mercutio glared at him. "What can I say, I'm a romantic." 

"Keep gloating." Mercutio muttered. "But if they bang before the night is over, I win." 

"Not going to happen." Livia said, sharing a look with Isabella. "But put me down for that happening at the end of next month." 

Mercutio nodded. "Well, Romeo." He handed him the money from the betting pool. "I pronounce thee winner of game night." 


	21. Chapter 21

"Mother?" Little Juliet squinted up at Rosaline as she wriggled into the blankets. Benvolio paused in the doorway. Neither his wife nor daughter had noticed his presence and he was content to simply watch them. 

"Yes." Rosaline smiled down at Juliet, tugging at a curl that had escaped her night time plait. Juliet giggled ducking under her blanket. 

"How did you know?" Juliet's muffled voice came from under the blanket. "That you loved father." 

"Who says I love your father?" Rosaline demanded, sitting on the edge of the bed, but her smile betrayed her joke. 

"Moooother." Juliet whined. 

"Slanderous lies." Rosaline chuckled. Shaking her head, she glanced around the room as though checking for prying ears. Benvolio moved back behind the door where he could not be seen. Rosaline, confident that she would not be overheard, turned her attention back to their daughter. "This stays between us." 

Juliet nodded, vigorously. Rosaline sighed. 

"It didn't happen in a moment. Truth be told, when I first met him, I found him....infuriating." 

Benvolio resisted the urge to laugh. That was his Capulet. She was never able to resist a jab at him. 

"We were betrothed before we even got to know each other." Rosaline continued. "We decided that we had to work together to stop the engagement...and by the time we'd managed to end it, we realized all our hard work had been for nothing." She shook her head. "I realized I wanted him by my side for the rest of my life. He's a rare man, your father. Honest, kind, gentle, and absolutely infuriating." She grinned as Juliet giggled. "And that's why I love him." 

Juliet yawned. "Can I hear the story?" She asked. "Aunt Livia said you took on the entire Mantuan army to be with him." 

"Your aunt is prone to exaggeration." Rosaline leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead before blowing out the candle by her bed. "Now sleep." 

Benvolio moved back as she entered the hallway. "That was beautiful, Capulet." He murmured, causing Rosaline to jump. 

"How long were you standing there?" She whispered. He offered his arm and they walked back to their bed chamber together. 

"Long enough to hear that you are absolutely besotted with me." Benvolio grinned. "Honest, kind, gentle." 

"And absolutely infuriating." Rosaline grumbled. Benvolio kissed her forehead, pulling her close. "Don't forget that part." 

"Oh never." Benvolio shook his head. "Though I do appreciate that you did not tell her that you fell in love with me in a jail cell." 

"I did not..." Rosaline rolled her eyes. "Fall in love with you in that jail cell." She pulled away. "It would not do to have our daughter know what a ruffian her father is." 

"Ruffian that you married, my lady Montague." Benvolio reminded her, grinning. 

"I took thee out of pity, my lord Montague." She shook her head, smiling back as she threaded her fingers into his. He lifted their joined hands to his lips. "One day." She murmured. "We will have to tell her the truth of it." 

Benvolio nodded. "I know." He squeezed her hand. "But let's have her only see the light of our love for a little while longer before we explain to her the darkness it had to over come." 

Rosaline shook her head. "Ever the poet, husband." She grinned. "Shall I compare- 

"Don't." Benvolio groaned, his cheeks flushing and making a grab for her. Rosaline danced out of his grasp. 

"- thee to a summer's day? Thou art more- mmfff." 

Benvolio caught her and kissed her silent. Pulling back he smiled. "I loved you the moment I met you." 

"Lies." Rosaline rolled her eyes. 

"I did." He insisted. "You were cruel to me, but...I found you intoxicating." 

"Ah." Rosaline nodded thoughtfully. "Is that why you called me a harpy." 

Benvolio winced. "I-" 

"Husband." Rosaline interrupted. "All I ask is that you love me now." 

"I do." Benvolio said. "Now. And tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow-" It was Rosaline's turn to silence him with a kiss. 

"Spare me the poetics, my love." She murmured. "And let us go to sleep before you become inspired to write me another sonnet." 

"That was not my doing." Benvolio grumbled. 

"I know." Rosaline grinned. "But your face when I tease you with it is so..." She sighed. "adorable." 

Benvolio watched as she dissolved into laughter, wondering what he'd ever done to be so blessed.


	22. Chapter 22

"What are you doing?" Rosaline leaned over Benvolio's shoulder. He quickly flipped the paper over, flushing as he squinted up at her.

"Nosy much?"

Rosaline rolled her eyes. "Bored." She corrected, sitting back in the pew. In front of them Juliet and Romeo were forcing smiles as their parents argued over...decorations? No that had been 3 hours ago. "Who knew that stem length was such a controversial topic?"

Benvolio snorted and in spite of herself, Rosaline felt the corner of her mouth turn up. Against all odds, Benvolio was the only sane person in this entire mess. Ever since Juliet had gotten it in her head that she was in love with Romeo Montague and was going to marry him, Rosaline had been stuck with him. As maid of honor, she'd had to make nice with Romeo's pick for best man and while she'd initially found him annoying as hell, he was quickly becoming the only person she could stomach.

"So, what's that a sketch of?"

Benvolio sighed, putting his sketch book into his bag. Rosaline saw his eyes dart to the altar where Mr. Montague was facing off against her aunt before looking back at Rosaline. "Later." He said. 

Rosaline bit her lip and was about to respond when Mr. Montague's voice rang out. "Benvolio." He jerked his head. "We're going to need to talk about speech length." Benvolio grimaced and nodded. Standing, he looked over at Rosaline before walking to stand next to his uncle. Romeo gave him an encouraging look, that he returned, but the second his cousin's gaze turned somewhere else, Rosaline noted that Benvolio looked closed off. The rest of the planning went about as well as expected. They'd managed to make it through with only a few swipes at each other. At least if her aunt's venom was directed at Mr. Montague, she wasn't insulting Rosaline. 

"Now we need to talk about the rehearsal dinner." Guiliana Capulet said. Rosaline shut her eyes and pressed her lips together to hold back a groan. Rehearsal dinner? They had just gotten to a point where all parties concerned could leave the ballroom with no blood spilled. 

"I think that would be best left to the young people." Mr. Montague said. 

"Mom." Juliet gave her a smile. "We don't need a rehearsal dinner." 

"Juliet." Her mother gave her a smile. "If there's no rehearsal dinner people will ask questions and if they ask questions they'll uncover _things_." 

Rosaline couldn't hold back her eye roll. At the time, she'd thought Juliet and Romeo eloping had been a terrible idea, but she couldn't deny that it was fun listening to the venerable Mr.'s Capulet and Montague and the prim and proper Mrs. Guiliana Capulet come up with circuitous ways to refer to it. Benvolio bit back a laugh. Mr. Montague glared at him. 

"The rehearsal dinner will happen." Her aunt said. "And the two of you will enjoy it." She looked back at Rosaline. "Are you sure you and Benvolio are up to it?" The underlying implication was that she didn't think they were capable. Rosaline didn't mind living up to her aunt's low opinion of her, but the pleading nod Juliet threw her way made her pause. There was no way  Juliet would be anything but miserable at whatever party her aunt threw. At least this way she could insure that some part of this wedding was enjoyable for her cousin. There was only one problem. Benvolio was watching her and if the slump of his shoulders and resigned sigh was any indication, he had some idea of what had just transpired between the Capulet cousins. 

"I'm sure Rosaline and I will manage something." He said. Rosaline nodded her agreement. Her aunt sniffed, clearly upset that Rosaline hadn't turned down the party before grabbing Juliet's arm and leading her to look at the chandelier, Romeo, Mr. Capulet and Mr. Montague trailing behind them. Benvolio looked over at Rosaline. "Romeo owes me so big." 

Rosaline nodded. "So. We're going to need to meet up and plan this thing." She frowned at their family members. "Preferably without outside input." 

"Agreed." Benvolio murmured. "Tomorrow? Friar's coffee?" 

"I can be there at 12." 

Benvolio nodded. "See you then." He paused, a look of confusion scrunching his brows together. "We're being....pleasant...to each other." 

Rosaline winced. "This doesn't mean I like you." 

"Oh, god no." Benvolio shook his head. "Still worst enemies?" 

Rosaline bit back a smirk. "Still worst enemies." She affirmed.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The coffee shop was quiet when Rosaline walked in. Benvolio was nowhere to be seen. Ordering a coffee for both of them, she walked into the courtyard, looking around to find the best spot. She sat in the back where a large tree provided solitude and shade. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lawrence, the owner of the coffee shop give her an amused smile. She had little time to wonder at this, when Benvolio walked in. He spied her through the large French windows. Raising his eyebrows at the two cups in front of her, he walked towards her. 

"Either your coffee obsession has gone completely off the rails..." He paused, pointing the  cup in front of the empty chair opposite Rosaline. "Or you ordered for me." 

Rosaline rolled her eyes. "Regretting it." She mumbled, picking up her cup. Benvolio put his hand to his chest, a faux incredulous look on his face. 

"Rosaline Capulet." He said, "I do believe that you are being nice to me." 

He was going to draw this out. Rosaline shut her eyes. Why had she thought spending time with him would be pleasant? "Montague." She grit her teeth. 

"Nice to me, without either of our cousins present." He took a sip, his eyes widening. Rosaline frowned. 

"What now?" 

"This is my order." Benvolio said. Rosaline shrugged, trying to remain nonchalant. It wasn't a big deal that she knew his coffee order. She'd seen him prepare it enough times

"And?" She said.

He shook his head. "Nothing." He licked his lips. "You're just really...observant." 

"More like you're not used to having actual coffee with your sugar."

Benvolio smirked. "If you think you ordering is going to stop me adding some..." He sat down. "You'd be wrong." 

Rosaline shook her head. "We have a party to plan." 

Benvolio nodded, "But first." He pulled a pad out of his bag. "I need your opinion on my present for Romeo and Juliet." He hesitated before opening it and sliding the pad across the table. Rosaline took it, looking down. It was a sketch of their cousins, clearly inspired from their elopement. Juliet was wearing her pink dress, holding hands with Romeo in front of a grinning Mercutio who was officiating. Rosaline swallowed the lump in her throat as she noted that Benvolio had added the two of them off to the side. 

"You drew this?" 

"Yeah." Benvolio shifted nervously. "It's just a preliminary sketch, so I can get a feel for how it would look on canvas." He grimaced as Rosaline looked back at him. "We didn't take pictures and I thought they'd like something to remember the real ceremony,not whatever their parents plan." He fidgeted. So...?" 

He wanted her opinion. In fact, it was important to him. Rosaline didn't know how that made her feel."It's good." She blurted. Good? That was the best she could come up with? "No. It's beautiful." She traced her fingers over the edges of the paper before handing the pad back to him. "They're going to love it." 

Benvolio closed the pad. "Okay, now I know something is up. There's no way you're being nice to me without a reason." 

"I'm a nice person." 

"Sure." Benvolio chuckled. "To people not named Montague."

Rosaline shook her head. "Don't take this the wrong way, but besides the one who's married to my cousin, Montagues tend to be jerks." 

"Present company excluded?" Benvolio asked. 

"Present company under review." Rosaline corrected sipping her coffee. It was a nice day in Verona and being away from both the stress of the company and the wedding planning was a nice change of pace. 

"There she is." Benvolio smirked. 

"Come on, as if it isn't refreshing to have a discussion about something that isn't table linens or DJ versus band." 

"Discussion?" Benvolio leaned back in his chair, tilting his face up, exposing it to the sun. "Is that what you call the literal war of the roses that our families have been going through the last 5 months." 

Rosaline rolled her eyes. "We solved the rose thing weeks ago." She wasn't going to laugh, because he wasn't being funny. "You know what I mean." 

"All this time I thought we've been arguing with each other, but really we've been _discussing_." Benvolio lowered his head to meet her gaze. "Wait, does this mean we're friends?" 

"Stop." 

"No, this is good. I feel like I'm really getting an insight into the real Rosaline Capulet." Benvolio paused. "It's nice to see you away from a wedding venue or board room." 

Rosaline looked at her almost empty cup of coffee. "We do have a rehearsal dinner to plan." She knew her aunt was trying to set her up for failure and embarrassment. While she couldn't prove Rosaline had helped Juliet's elopement, she could punish her for it. 

Benvolio grinned. "Already got it covered."

"What?" Rosaline frowned. Benvolio held up 2 fingers.

"Two words." He said. "Mercutio -"

"No." Rosaline groaned, covering her face.

"Come on." He said. "Who throws a better party than Mercutio?"

"Frat parties, maybe." Rosaline mumbled.

"Isabella and Helena's engagement announcement Brunchstravaganza." Benvolio said. "That was all Mercutio. He may love ragers, but he's perfectly capable of throwing something classy. Even if he does call it a brunchstravaganza." He drummed his fingers on the table. "Do you trust me?" 

She wanted to say no, but that would have been a lie. As much as she enjoyed teasing Benvolio, she didn't want to lie to him. That being said, she couldn't just tell him she trusted him. Taking another sip of her coffee, she looked away from Benvolio. "So if you got us out of party planning what was the point of meeting today." 

"Showing off my present and confirming that you know my coffee order." 

"I think you might be reading a little too much into me noticing that you're the only weirdo who likes adding caramel to espresso." Rosaline mumbled. Benvolio rolled his eyes. 

"So, we've got the rest of our Saturday to ourselves, while our families think we're hard at work on a party that's already planned." 

Rosaline nodded thoughtfully. "This party...seems like the kind of thing that would take several weekends to plan." Benvolio grinned. 

"You'd be right." 

This definitely beat working unpaid overtime at her uncle's company and she was sure Benvolio felt the same. "So. When you're not helping run the third most successful corporation in Verona-" 

"Third?" Benvolio asked. 

"Prince International is second." Rosaline clarified, running her fingers along the rim of her cup. "So, when you're not running the third most successful corporation in Verona, what do you do for fun?" 

Benvolio tilted his head as he considered her. Biting his lip, he looked down. "I was considering showing you, but you're being mean." 

"Mean?" Rosaline scoffed. "I'm just getting warmed up." 

"I know." Benvolio nodded, standing and pulling a key out of his pocket. "Come with me." 

"What?" Rosaline frowned as he walked to a door at the end of the court yard. She hadn't noticed it when she'd come into the cafe. Frowning, she stood, glancing over her shoulder at the rest of the coffee shop. Lawrence watched the two of them, a knowing smile on his face. Rosaline watched Benvolio unlock the door. "This is starting to feel like the lead up to an episode of Law and Order." 

Benvolio rolled his eyes, opening the door and motioning for her to go first. 

"Hell no." Rosaline crossed her arms. "You first." Benvolio laughed, turning and walking up the stairs. 

"Suit yourself, just close and lock the door behind you." He paused, looking down at her. "The better to murder you, Capulet." 

Rosaline followed, doing as he asked while rolling her eyes. The stairs were rickety and wooden, not doing much for her assessment that it was leading to a murder room. Climbing, she frowned as Benvolio opened another door at the top of the stairs. "What is this place." 

"Lawrence, the owner is a friend. I helped him with a legal case, so he rented me this space for basically nothing." Benvolio stepped into the room, standing to the side. "This is my studio." 

Rosaline blinked as she looked around. The large window let in large amounts of sunlight as well as giving a wonderful view of the courtyard. The room had large canvases, neatly stacked against the wall, some blank, others painted. There was a work desk, a tripod, with a half finished painting. Looking back at Benvolio, she noted that he had the same nervous look on his face. Her opinion meant a lot to him. She wasn't sure why, but she liked it. 

"It's...amazing." She looked over at the wall with the finished canvases. "Can I see?" 

He nodded. "Sure." Rushing over to the wall, he pulled them out. "So, um...this is the river. It's an early painting so it's not really good. I was in a phase where I wanted to imitate impressionism and well..." He winced. "It's kind of terrible." He pulled the next one. "This is the sky the day Romeo won his last big high school football game." 

"I remember." Rosaline looked at the purple, pink and orange streaked canvas. "The game, I mean. Juliet dragged us there, and wouldn't let us leave for the whole game." She shook her head. "I guess I know why now." She tilted her head as she looked at the canvas. "The sunset that night was..." She grinned at Benvolio. "Well, this is it, here." She craned her head, trying to get a look at the next canvas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Have you ever considered putting them in a gallery?" Rosaline asked as she accepted a croissant. Benvolio sat across from her, taking a bite from his pastry.

"No." He said. Shaking his head, he looked down at his croissant. "This is one of the perks of living over a coffee shop." 

"Why not?" 

Benvolio hesitated, before shaking his head. "I don't have the time." He mumbled. "Plus, I've lost focus." 

Rosaline turned her croissant over in her hands, looking out the window. "So you just spend your free time here, painting all these things with no intention of sharing them?" 

"I showed you, didn't I?" Benvolio pointed out. Rosaline arched an eyebrow. "I'm busy working at my uncle's company. Maybe one day, but for now...I've got other things to worry about." 

Rosaline crossed her arms. "Montague, I'm about to say something, and you're probably not going to like it." 

"You saying something upsetting?" Benvolio asked. 

"Shut up." Rosaline rolled her eyes. "I've faced off against you in the board room and while you're good at it..." She looked at the canvases. "I've never seen you care the way you did when you showed me your work." 

Benvolio chuckled. "You saying that if I didn't have my head focused I'd stand a chance against you?" 

"Absolutely not." Rosaline replied, shaking her head. "And there's nothing wrong with that. I have a head for business, you..." She looked at the canvas. "You have a talent for this." 

Benvolio watched her, searching her face as though he wanted to make sure she wasn't lying. She wondered what could possibly be holding him back from fully embracing his talent. They sat in silence, taking in the shadows thrown on the wall by the setting sun. The heat of the day cooled. Rosaline finished her croissant, smiling at the stillness of just being here. Being here was such a reprieve from her duty at Capulet Industries. She'd like to come back here. The thought surprised her with how much she wanted it. This had been a good day and, loathe as she was to admit it, she genuinely could see herself spending time with Benvolio outside of the context of wedding planning and corporate craziness. She looked up at Benvolio. He was sketching something, his brows pulled together in concentration. 

"Montague." She said, hesitantly. 

"Hm?" He looked up, his mouth slightly open as he looked at her. Rosaline almost felt bad for disturbing him, he was so cute. Wait, where did that come from? 

"I was...just thinking that we still have so much party planning to do." 

Benvolio closed his mouth, smiling as he tilted his head. "Yes." He agreed. "What are you plotting Capulet." 

"Same time next week?" She asked, suddenly realizing exactly how big of an ask it was to invade his personal space. "That is. Only if you want to."

Benvolio smiled. "I wouldn't mind an outside look at my gift for the couple." He paused. "And you are the harshest critic I know." 

Rosaline nodded, pressing her lips into a tight line. "I will eviscerate you." 

Benvolio nodded. "I expect nothing less." 


End file.
